Symposium 

Here is Anima Ehtiat's 70 by 100 cm painting, Symposium. Ehtiat was born in Tehran, Iran in 1980, a time marked by significant social and political upheaval following the Iranian Revolution. The artwork embodies the complexity of contemporary Iranian identity. The painting uses a vibrant palette and a dense composition of human figures and abstract shapes to create a scene teeming with activity and emotion. It challenges traditional representations by embracing abstraction and distortion, moving away from idealized or stereotypical portrayals. Consider how the lack of clear spatial hierarchy mirrors the experience of living in a society with conflicting social norms. The layering of figures and forms might express the multifaceted nature of personal and collective identity. “Symposium” is not just a painting; it is a reflection on what it means to navigate personal and collective identity within complex social contexts.