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My name is Mahsa Rahbari Aghdam and I am a 28 year-old artist from Iran. My ambition is to empower women who are seeking refuge in the UK after having faced theocratic injustices, to speak up about their experiences. Being born in Iran, an Islamic theocracy where there is an absence in freedom of speech and women’s rights, has made me develop a deep personal interest in women who suffer due the traditional and religious cultures in which they were raised.
In 2006 at the age of twenty I started a course in graphic design at the University of Arts in Iran. Three years later I was forced to take refuge in the UK not being allowed to return to Iran and continue my education because of……… I learnt English and took a foundation art course at the Leeds College of art and design. I was supported through the Refugee Education Training Advice Service (RETAS). Upon finishing my course I was offered a place at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. It was at this time that I was officially regarded as a refugee of Iran.
As a feminist I reflect the injustices suffered by these women in my art work. I firmly believe women should stand up for their rights and speak out no matter how difficult the path may seem. Through my art, which in some countries is regarded as rebellious, I aim to raise awareness of the issues which women in such countries have to face every day. My art criticizes social, political, religious and cultural issues, especially in the case of Islamic theocracies where women are forced into certain actions, such as having to wear a Hijab.
The exhibition is located at Chelsea College of Art and Design - 16 John Islip Street, SW1P 4JU, London.
This exhibition is the beginning of a larger project towards raising funds to provide help and support to asylum seekers and refugee women, who are in need of any kind of emotional, financial, educational and career building.
All the donations made during the exhibition and online will be put towards this.
