My World, 2013, Oil on canvas

With

held

In these paintings, female figures are

held in place,

distorted,

elongated,

bent,

or covered.

Their eyes are closed or lowered, as if surrendering to a situation they did not choose.

Through these figures, I wanted to show how living within these limits can gradually reshape a woman’s body from the inside out.

Elements associated with femininity and beauty turn into forms of pressure and restraint. The body remains visible, but the freedom to inhabit it on one’s own terms is withheld.

With

held

In these paintings, female figures are

held in place,

distorted,

elongated,

bent,

or covered.

Withheld comes from my experience of living as a woman in Iran, where gender and sexuality determine the rights a woman has and how she is allowed to live.

Longing , 2013, Oil on canvas

Selfportrait I, 2013, Oil on canvas

Selfportrait II, 2013, Oil on canvas

Selfportrait III, 2013, Oil on canvas

The Goddess of Liberty,

2013, Oil on canvas

Adornment,

2013, Oil on canvas

The Silence We Know,

2012, Oil on canvas

© 2025 ELHAM HAJESMAEILI . All Rights Reserved.

ELHAM HAJESMAEILI

Iranian artist based in the United States