It all started with the tragic murder of Mahsa Amini.
Two months into my new life in Toronto, the distressing protests and tragedy in my home country, Iran, deeply affected me. Driven by a compelling need to raise awareness, I drew inspiration from Alexey Brodovitch's style to create a poignant double-page magazine cover. This artwork depicts an Iranian woman breaking free from the confines of the hijab, symbolizing not only physical liberation but also a profound release from societal expectations and oppression. It is my heartfelt attempt to convey the emotions and the yearning for freedom that stirred within me during those violent times.
The figure on the left page has been designed by using only persian alphabet, depicting three words which make the famous slogan, which got used during all the protests: "Woman, Life, Freedom". In a way that the word زن = Woman, آزادی= Freedom, and زندگی = Life.
As previously mentioned, the figure on the right symbolizes the women in Iran who actively joined protests, expressing their dissent by removing their hijabs and either tossing them into the air or burning them. The draped scarf above the woman's head serves as a visual representation of the obligatory hijab imposed on them.
Through this design, I've expressed my identity and love for my people and homeland. The deep emotional connection I have to the plight in Iran fuels my belief that everyone must feel the weight of the cruelty that has transpired. This creation, is my attempt to share this pain, with the hope that it reaches hearts and minds when distributed in magazines.
