In the same manner that I believe in the magical power of words in literature, I believe in the enchanting spell of familiar visual signs so that whenever they appear in a picture, despite their simplicity, have a charm of their own. Of course, I revel in seeing a viewer pauses in front of a work of mine but I honestly prefer to tempt this feeling with known signs and symbols rather than strange and unfamiliar ones that astound and dumbfound. I am, therefore, rather sensitive and responsive to things, events, stories that surround us and their memories.
Lines and their repetition in my works are my therapy. I love to move, so I move around in my paintings with lines. They have a beginning, end and they continue by their reappearance.
Repetitive elements are like narrative recitals or humming a mantra. Living in Iran, our eyes pursue these mantras in the ornamental design of carpets, architecture and paintings. These are the elements that can build up an imaginary space in which I could live and play for hours as a child and even now. Layering and hiding behind suggestions of different concepts and leaving some transparency in between for interpretation, is also in my culture, as seen in literature, poetry and everyday life so for this reason it feels so natural to me to depict with equivocation.
I begin my work with an idea of an event, a picture, a sentence or a random installation in nature and occasionally, in the course of completing, the idea undergoes change. I consider a work done and finished only if whenever I happen to look at it I laugh unconsciously like the joy of a child with the new tricks and games he has recently learned.
Farima Fooladi
Sep 2013