Artwork Collection

The Book of Queens

The Book of Queens is a contemporary take on the 10th-century Persian epic poem book of Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) that tells the story of 10 influential Iranian women as its protagonists and legendary heroes all sharing a theme of rebellion.

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Maryam
Maryam

Illustration

Maryam

Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman ever to win the Fields Medal for her outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces.

Kimia
Kimia

Illustration

Kimia

Kimia Alizadeh, Iran’s first female Olympic medalist defects from the national Taekwondo team to protest oppression against women.

Collective for Black Iranians
Collective for Black Iranians

Illustration

Collective for Black Iranians

Priscillia Kounkou-Hoveyda is the founder of Collective for Black Iranians with a mission to amplify Black and Afro-Iranian voices.

No!
No!

Illustration

No!

Vida Movahed was arrested and sentenced to prison after publicly protesting compulsory hijab. Her bravery sparked a movement with other women re-enacting her protest in cities across Iran. The white scarf and the moon form the word “No” in Farsi.

Free
Free

Illustration

Free

Actress Golshifteh Farahani posed nude for the French Magazine Madame Le Figaro (and later for Egoiste) to promote the notion of bodily and artistic freedom which caused a great deal of controversy between Iranian people.

Dancing Tree
Dancing Tree

Illustration

Dancing Tree

Following the 1979 revolution, Farzaneh Kaboli, eminent Iranian dancer and choreographer, unable to publicly dance and perform, set up her own private dance academy where she teaches and trains hundreds of students to this day.

Marji
Marji

Illustration

Marji

Inspired by Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Marjane Satrapi wrote the critically acclaimed Persepolis; a graphic novel memoir that describes her childhood in Iran and adolescence in Europe.

Forough
Forough

Illustration

Forough

Forough Farrokhzad established herself among the great voices of Persian literature dominated by men at the time. She passed away at 32 in a car crash, but her poetry lives on forever.

Mana
Mana

Illustration

Mana

Born to immigrant parents, Mana Shamshiri, Vegan cook and anti-colonial activist, affirms her identity and ties to her Iranian heritage by recreating traditional dishes while remaining compassionate towards humans, animals, and the environment.

Sevda
Sevda

Illustration

Sevda

Sevdaliza is an independent self-taught singer, songwriter, composer, and director defying the status quo of the music industry.

Work by

Shahrzad Soroosh

Illustration

“The Book of Queens is a contemporary take on the 10th-century Persian epic poem book of Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) that tells the story of 10 influential Iranian women as its protagonists and...” [More]