Shabnam Jahanshahi (b.1984, Tehran, Iran) has a bachelor's and master's degree in painting. In
her works, she mainly explores themes related to individuality. She often paints portraits, and the
hidden and individual aspects of the features of each person are very important to her because
they can show the effects of external conditions such as family, society, and history. The artist's
works center around humans and their contradictory and complex emotions. Jahanshahi mainly
explores themes such as identity, gender, and contradictory but coexistent emotions, such as
pain and comfort, sadness and happiness, etc., which have always been present in her different
collections. By putting together these contradictory elements, the artist tries to communicate
the concepts she has in her mind.
In the "Entwined" series, Jahanshahi has been inspired by small everyday events and
communications, and the works have been done by pencil. Her portraits have inner and outer
parts. In some of the works, the artist has drawn a mask of her face; in others, she has displayed
her inner self by threading and sewing on fabric and depicting haircuts. The other part of the
series consists of portraits of people that the artist has looked at from the outside and seeks to
explore and search for their inner selves. Other works in the exhibition are arrangements of
ready-made objects; the artist has separated these objects from their original context and had
added a metaphorical aspect to them. Jahanshahi seeks to shape a dialogue with her audience
by constructing a disturbing and pleasant atmosphere at the same time.