We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marzieh Saffarian a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Marzieh, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My favorite projects are those that allow me to be playful while exploring the honesty of the diasporic experience . A particularly meaningful project of mine has been “Icons/Eyecons” where I reimagine western pop culture icons with a Persian “twist”. In this collection, I take images of people like Cher, Debbie Harry, etc. and give them traditionally Iranian features, decorating them in ornate Persian textiles, often with carefully placed symbols of my culture in the frame. Because I never saw myself or my people represented (positively) in the media, other than through an Orientalist gaze, art has been my way of exploring the duality of the Persian-American experience. This project is a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek poke at the attempts of that gaze to “otherize” or devalue its target. The subjects of these images are heavily altered to look middle eastern, yet are still so recognizable that they almost look exactly the same. Blink and you might miss it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’m a visual artist (specializing in digital collage art) and the creator behind the brand PsychPersia. My art is heavily inspired by my culture and experiences as a member of the Persian diaspora. I also bring to each piece a strong female voice, centering much of my work around female empowerment in its various forms. Since my journey began, I have collaborated with several artists, musicians, and businesses on different artistic ventures, such as album covers, and visual marketing projects. I am so deeply proud to be able to offer a unique voice to each these projects and to present a viewpoint that is underrepresented. At the moment, I am in talks with a major retailer that is looking to sell my work at their stores nationwide. It’s an exciting time for PsychPersia, that’s for sure!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think it all starts with more focus on the arts in education. We need to give our public schools the appropriate funding it needs to create valuable art and music programs for children. This is such a challenge when we live in a society that consumes art/design/music but does not hold those careers in high regard. It’s almost impossible for most creatives to earn a livable wage, and I think that needs to change.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I will never underestimate the powerful feeling that art has given me in the realm of identity and self expression. I absolutely love creating in order to connect with myself, remain present, and to re-center. It’s an outlet that is both a privilege to have, as well as a necessity in these ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Etsy.com/shop/psychpersia
- Instagram: Psychpersia