In my first year in Canada, I found solace in daily walks along the forested trails by Lake Ontario. In every season, there are so many birds around the lake: swans, geese, herons. These moments brought a quiet sense of grounding to a place that often felt distant and foreign. The presence of birds eased my estrangement and connected me to the natural world in a profound way.

This connection to nature inspired my paintings of “bird and flower”. The Gol-o-Morgh (Flower and Bird) motif, deeply rooted in Iranian art, embodies spiritual connection and love – the bird, often a nightingale, symbolizing the lover, and the flower, the beloved. Painting these motifs became a way to bridge my present reality with the memory of Iran, weaving together fragments of two worlds.

Over time, the paintings transcended their initial symbolism. They became vessels for my dreams, memories, and emotions, slipping quietly into my inner world. What began as a way to connect to my homeland turned into an expression of hope, dreaming, and belonging.