Hello, I'm Maziar M.
With a curiosity of the human anatomy and of moving objects, from an early age, a fond memory I have, involved drawing portraits of close family members and observing the reaction to their portrait. Watching animated productions created by Studio Ghibli or Disney was thought-provoking. Trips with my father to renowned art galleries in London and Europe has also made an impact on the style of my art. It was at this point of my life, that I aspired to become an animator and pursue the arts. Practicing art in school enabled me to experiment in a range of mediums that were previously unfamiliar. My Malaysian and Persian heritage has influenced my appreciation for cultural artists. I often try to inject a myriad of colours into my pieces, which reflect my influences. As part of my IB diploma, I explored my Persian heritage through the lens of the 1979 Iranian revolution and its socio-political consequences on society. This was initially inspired through an interview with my grandmother, chronicling her experiences before and after the revolution. In the process, I was also exposed to a variety of artists who embed cultural influences into their practice. Such an artist included Shirin Neshat, who involved calligraphic notation within her art to symbolize the effects of the Iranian revolution on womens’ freedom. Inspired by her work, I began a project entitled ‘Boundary’ which related to the political and economic boundaries that stemmed from the revolution. To facilitate my project, I pulled some ideas directly from the interview, using my grandmother’s own words and translating them into Nasta’liq calligraphy to symbolize Iran before the revolution. Living in Iran immediately after the revolution, an observation my grandmother made was how women’s lives were drastically affected. These limitations affected their job opportunities, education and fashion. Another component of the revolution was displacement, as many Persians fled the country after the revolution. With these ideas to mind, my work contrasted pre-revolutionary opportunities against the restrictions imposed after. While the entirety of my project was set against the revolution, to uncover the true meaning of boundary, I delved into its philosophical and metaphorical meaning. Having found the definition of a boundary to be a divisive straight line, I drew direct inspiration from the meaning of the word and created a piece of performance art by crawling across a straight line on a tiled floor. Another powerful example of a boundary would be bullying, which affects millions of children daily. Therefore, an aspect of my work also shed light on this topic and aimed to inspire children to overcome their boundaries. Some of my art is influenced by the news and its effect on the public. During the months spent in lockdown and living with my grandmother, I painted a portrait of her wearing a mask. My painting symbolizes the pertinent impacts of the corona virus on the elderly. It also depicts the strength and resilience of a lady who has seen and been through difficult times, but has always remained a pillar of strength in the family. Painting this portrait has given me the opportunity to experiment with a new form of art that incorporates wet and dry mediums for conceptual significance.