For me, «Zaya» is not merely a title, but rather describes the very nature of breathing art in my studio. This collection is the outcome of a continuous process of birth and creation. A creation that occurs in the silence of rooms, amidst the scent of paint, and in the mirror of introspective gazes.
In these works, I have depicted the female figure not as
a mere subject, but as a fertile source of creativity, memory, and emotion.
The spaces in these paintings are familiar yet fluid. Studio, library, rooms filled with plants and easels, and the like—to me, they act as wombs wherein ideas take shape and come to fruition.
A prominent feature of this collection is the series of grid lines and geometric divisions on the canvases. These grids are a metaphorical representation of the «Zaya» (fertile/generative) process of the mind—a mind that fragments images and memories so that fresh, new meaning may be born from these torn pieces. It is as if each section of this grid is a fertile cell that, alongside other cells, forms the overall body of the collection.
The «Zaya collection» is an invitation to gaze upon these broken yet fertile mirrors; a place where I invite you to see a reflection of yourself and your inner world within these intimate spaces.

Houshang Hatefi

Artworks