This is Yasaman Falahati,

an Iranian art student currently pursuing an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art, Media & Design at OCAD University. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Tehran and have graduated from the University of Western Ontario with degrees in English and Cultural Studies, as well as an Honours Specialization in Art History and Studio Arts.

I was born and raised in Iran. To the people of my country, art has always been a source of hope during hard times for centuries. We have been using art in the forms of poetry, paintings, sculptures, music, etc., to express our pain and feelings, tell our stories, and create a myth or utopia we wish for our land. With this mindset, I have always found art as a power beyond human comprehension, a world that can be created as a shelter or as a call for awareness or consolation.

Growing up, I have tried to explore this vast world of art as much as possible; I learned several musical instruments, wrote poetries and attended literature competitions, travelled to different countries and read as much as I could in the fields of arts, history, political science, philosophy and literature. I tried picking the majors that could fulfill my desire to explore the vast world of art and the jobs that would include communication with different people, including children, to help me see the world from different perspectives.

My studio practices uses visual art as a vehicle for cultural transition between Persian aesthetics and western contemporary art. My main goal is to use art as a tool to raise awareness, convey and stimulate emotions, to translate matters and events into a universal language. I tailor my use of mediums and materials to best suit the subject matter. I try to invite my audience to explore the events more personally than they otherwise might on a newscast. I mainly focus on how traditional and political value system shape Iranian gender politics: however, during the times that a specific event or social matter affects my people, as an artist who has access to the universal language of art, I consider myself responsible for taking action and bringing awareness.