Afarin Sajedi, Bon Appetit, 2023

Iranian artist Afarin Sajedi, celebrated for her evocative and culturally rich works, is serving us a ‘Renaissance of Emotions’ Along the Table of the Symbolic Banquets Echoing of Marie Antoinette.

In her latest opus, "Bon Appétit," Sajedi orchestrates a grandeur that echoes the cultural heritage of Marie Antoinette's era, breathing life into a new series suffused with a rococo-inspired color palette.

This aesthetic choice isn't just ornamental; it serves as a canvas for the celebration of womanhood, a theme dear to Sajedi's heart. With meticulous detail, characters adorned in extravagant, unconventional attire emerge, embodying not only strength and resilience but also reflecting the artist's fiery spirit and deep-rooted cultural heritage.

In this tribute to the 18th century, often hailed as the era of femininity, Sajedi unveils a historical tapestry of emancipation. A time when the seeds of women's autonomy were sown, challenging the dominion of male authority. Convents were critiqued, and a Rousseau-esque call for domestic education echoed through the ages.

Within this epoch, women dared to grasp microscopes, unraveling the mysteries of microorganisms. Their creativity and ingenuity paved the way for future luminaries in fashion design, hairstyling, and image consultancy. Their services elevated to an art form, embodying the essence of empowerment.

Marie Antoinette, an unwitting harbinger of transformation, steered a revolution in self-determination. Beyond the surface of seemingly mundane choices - from attire to matters of the heart, from dwelling places to the her children educational philosophies, from social circles to moments of retreat - she wielded an influence that rippled through the annals of history. A force of defiance, she shattered the rigid scaffolding of societal norms that bolstered her authority, setting in motion an era-defining evolution of unparalleled proportions. In the tapestry of time, her legacy stands as a testament to the power of individual agency in the face of entrenched tradition.

With an impetuous, vibrant spirit, she danced on the precipice of tradition and modernity, protocol and spontaneity, public and private life. Her rebellion, born of a generational intolerance for rules, transcended her own grasp, becoming a catalyst for a radical metamorphosis that surpassed her era.

Through Sajedi's art, we witness not only a renaissance of emotions but also a resurrection of historical narratives, a testament to the indomitable spirit of women who shaped epochs and altered the course of history.

Alexandra Mazzanti

Art Historian and Curator,

Owner and Director of Dorothy Circus Gallery

AFARIN SAJEDI: Bon Appétit: Dorothy Circus Rome | Solo Show

LONDON

DCG

ROME

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Afarin Sajedi Iran, 1979

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