Soraya Sharghi

In her large-format paintings Soraya Sharghi depicts a mythology of the 21st century. A traditional iconography, with masculine connotations, experiences it's refiguration through the female body. These new heroines make it possible to reflect on archaic-utopian matriarchy in a contemporary context. The motifs and detailed friezes depicted in her works are based on memories of childhood fairy tales, which Sharghi uses to build her own fantasy world. Within her fantasy, she is able to reflect the challenges of inner and outer battles in our reality. Representations of Persian mythology, together with Japanese anime and contemporary literature, are also central to her inspiration. From this experience, Sharghi developed a very precise and highly topical painting technique, which she combines with screen printing, gold leaf, plastic elements on canvas and 'Khātam', an ancient Persian inlay technique.