Bahar Sabzevari

Bahar Sabzevari (Iranian, b. 1980) Untitled signed and dated 'Bahar 2011' (lower right) acrylic on canvas 30 x 30in. (76 x 76cm.) Painted in 2011 New York, LTMH Gallery, The Mask & The Mirror, 2011. Through a striking and captivating self-portrait, Bahar Sabzevari explores her own identity. Her confident gaze and her provocative pose express her psychological and emotional angst while her colourful and vibrant veil reveal her extraverted personality. Her self-portrait acts as a visual commentary on the personal and cultural issues she faces as a young Iranian artist working and living in the West. The visual contradictions within the work thus appear as a mirror of the contradictions she faces every day in society. The present work appeared in an acclaimed exhibition The Mask and the Mirror which took place in New York in 2011. The show, curated by the well-known artist Shirin Neshat who herself gained recognition through her poignant self-portraits, presented self-portraits by established artists, such as Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman alongside works by emerging artists. The exhibition highlighted the interaction between the West and non-Western cultures in the way artists captured identity and self-expression through their own aesthetics.