“Someone Like You” 2025

Iranian crude oil and 22 ct gold leaf on A4 Canford Paper.

This drawing is based on a photograph of the artist’s mother when she was newly married in the late 1950s during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. She wears a golden checkered top. The artist adds the bird foot necklace to signify a lucky charm for falling in love. In Iranian culture, birds and their feet are rich with symbolism, often representing spiritual concepts, fortune, and connections to the divine. Mythical birds like the Simurgh and Huma are prominent, embodying wisdom, healing, and royal authority, while birds symbolize the soul, freedom, and the journey of life.