* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Elmira Shokr Pour is a painter based in Tehran, Iran.
Elmira explains her paintings by saying, “The subject of my paintings relates to my childhood memories, my female identity, and the role of women in Iranian society. When I draw, I try to truly understand not only myself, but also womankind in general. Come to think of it, I’ve been focusing on women and their daily lives for most of my artistic career. Women are the source of life, and an enigma of nature; I find them to be mysterious, extraordinary, and phenomenal, and it’s no wonder why they were so often celebrated in Iranian mythology.”
She continues, “My paintings are somewhat surreal, and are not restricted to time or space; vast, blue plains, deep oceans, and barren forests are the only environs I depict. In these works, colour, shadow, and rhythm combine to present a story about our dualistic and eternal inner world, bringing to the surface the feelings and thoughts behind the ‘masks’ we wear.”