When I finished this piece, It was 100 days since Iranians rallied behind their women to have their second revolution in a century. It has been 100 days since many were beaten, tortured, killed, and executed and the rest of the country is increasingly frustrated, feared, depressed, and yet encouraged to fight for their freedom. However, the path of seeking freedom and fighting for human rights in Iran has a long history with a bloody track over centuries. Tahereh (Persian: طاهره, meaning “The Pure One”) Qurrat al’Ayn (1814 or 1817 – August 16–27, 1852) was around my age when executed by her headscarf and drowned for fighting for women’s rights and freedom of religion. You know? 200 years ago... And believe me, she’s still as alive as you and I are... She was a poet too, and although many of her poems were burned and destroyed, few have survived... This is a verse by her: محتسب است و شیخ و من، صحبت عشق در میان از چه کنم مجابشان؟ پخته یکی و خام دو “Sheikh, the ombudsman, and I are discussing love, but why would I try to convince them? Since I only see one mature and two immature”... Don’t worry Tehereh! Although our motherland has gone through way too much bloodshed, yet, the Tree of Life is growing stronger than ever. Don’t doubt that we will win the battle with the Zahhak of our time. #WomanLifeFreedom #MahsaAmini This painting is the largest I’ve worked on up to this date far and although I usually tend to not work on paintings that have expiration dates, yet, I went through a healing process with this one in the past 100 days. Healing that Tahereh and I, as well as many other women throughout history well deserve. Till then and till freedom is reached, Tahereh and many others are alive and blossom on the Tree of Life. I also usually don’t explain the symbolism behind my paintings, however, this one might be a bit for a non-Iranian to read and so, feel free to visit my website for the extra info: https://ntabibian.com/Artist.html#Tahereh

Negar Tabibian

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Negar is an Iranian-American artist and designer with a strong passion for visual and performing arts. For her, art is a medium to communicate whatever is going on in her bubble with the rest of the world. So in a way, Negar's artworks are the stories of a Middle Eastern immigrant woman residing in the US, trying to be resilient against life's crises. Depending on where she is standing and what she is trying to express, Negar has used a variety of mediums and techniques from watercolor and acrylic painting and photography to singing and dance installations. However, when looking back on decades of recreation of her visions, one would notice a strong theme in her works: A woman of a fire; and her never-ending battle to survive mental health struggles, immigration, social injustice challenges, and political pro-activation. Negar sees her art as a healing tool. Yet an epiphany for her was that the healing effects were not just impacting her alone as a creator, but her audiences who have connected with installations and artworks, as they have found themselves seen, validated, and expressed via mediums that are not as challenging as words. Negar truly believes that this connection alone with her audiences is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her art for her. IG: World_of_Negar