Shohreh Mehran

Shohreh Mehran paints restrained yet emotionally charged scenes that quietly question what it means to be seen—or not seen—in contemporary society. Working primarily with oil on canvas, she often begins with photographic references, transforming them through digital manipulation before rendering them into carefully composed paintings. Her subjects—frequently young women or anonymous figures—are depicted in staged poses, yet their faces are partially hidden, turned away, or covered, suggesting themes of absence, concealment, and restraint. Mehran’s compositions balance realism with symbolic ambiguity. By omitting direct gaze or facial expression, she opens space for layered interpretation, prompting viewers to consider questions of individuality, censorship, and representation. Color and surface are treated with precision: flat, muted backgrounds and sharp outlines emphasize the stillness and tension within each scene. Through her nuanced visual language, Mehran documents the emotional weight of societal expectation, especially in relation to gender. At once personal and universal, her work resonates with broader concerns around freedom, selfhood, and the roles assigned to women in both private and public life. ...