soheila (The woman without face)

Mixed media on canvas
85 × 153 cm
2019

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At first glance, the painting portrays what appears to be a beautiful woman. Yet her true appearance remains concealed, leaving space for the viewer’s imagination and interpretation of what lies beyond the visible. The work deliberately plays with absence and obscurity, confronting the tension between visibility, identity, and imposed concealment.

In Iran, recurring protests led by ultra-conservative groups continue to call for stricter enforcement of moral and dress codes for women. Across many Islamic countries, women are required to cover their hair, veil their faces, and wear loose-fitting garments, their beauty hidden from public view and reserved solely for their husbands.

The painting is inspired in part by the story of the 27-year-old journalist Soheila, who launched an online campaign opposing the compulsory veil. In Isfahan, she became the victim of a brutal acid attack that severely burned her face, neck, and legs, leaving her blind in one eye. Similar acts of violence against women continue to occur in countries such as India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Rather than condemning these attacks outright, political representatives often fail to support the victims. Some dismiss the violence through conspiracy theories, denying any political or ideological motivation behind the assaults while offering no meaningful explanation for their conclusions.

The work becomes both portrait and protest: a reflection on the systematic control of women’s bodies, the silencing of individuality, and the violence inflicted in the name of morality and tradition. At the same time, it preserves the dignity of the unseen figure, whose hidden face becomes a symbol not of erasure, but of resilience, resistance, and untold identity.