Selected Works of Sasan Meftahi Sasan Meftahi From the beginning of human civilization until today, there has always been an instrumental view of women. Examples come from the Paleolithic period to Venus of Willendorf and the symbols of childbearing that condemned women to motherhood. This instrumental view has extended to the point of sanctifying the word “mother,” so women are doomed to perish in front of their children, forfeit their authority and freedom, and in many situations, give up. In the Iranian society in which I live, inequality and discrimination are much greater than many other parts of the world. Even the most basic rights of women are ignored. In many cases, women are deprived of their right to choose. In this series, which is still ongoing, I attempted to portray the struggles of women in society and the instrumental cultural views of women. I also used a motif of fish in my artwork because in Iranian culture, red fish are symbolic of hope, life, and fertility, and the color red is a symbol of kindness, victory, livelihood, and affluence. I was raised on the border areas of Iran and Iraq. I was three years old when the Iranian revolution took place, five years old when the Iran-Iraq war began, and I was 13 when the war ended. We lived on the borderland of Iran, on the Iraqi border, and the city where we lived was occupied by the Iraqis. My childhood was a nightmare that passed under bombardment and the death of my loved ones. I have been painting for many years, and my paintings are representations of my suppressed anger and my protest against war, discrimination, and violence.
184
