Concept
I come from a war-torn family. My parents were forced to leave their city during the Iraq-Iran war and their family settled in different cities in Iran and the world. I was born in the middle of the war, so I never experienced family gatherings. That’s why I started a journey to find my roots as an Iranian woman in this project, I drove more than 50 thousand kilometres in different parts of Iran to find women who live in intertwined communities. A journey into the history of Iranian women’s life, which is a combination of tradition and patriarchy, and at the same time, linguistic and cultural diversity. Some of these women are the last generation and even a last family, who are working by directly communicating with nature, they transform their sufferings into products that speak of freshness, beauty and sustainability.
Vita
Maryam Firuzi, the Iranian visual artist, discussed her multidisciplinary influences in an interview with Elles x Paris Photo in 2021. She stated, “I am convinced that mediums are related to each other. Persian calligraphy taught me discipline and dedication, painting offered me freedom of expression, and literature provided a structured way to develop and articulate my ideas.” Firuzi began her journey in art with specialized training in calligraphy from the Iranian Calligraphy Association. Her early exposure to painting, guided by various teachers, further enriched her artistic foundation. After navigating the diverse realms of art and literature, she pursued cinema studies at Tehran University of Arts.