Tirdad Hashemi & Soufia Erfanian

The paintings and drawings of Tirdad Hashemi, who left Iran to live freely as a homosexual, tell stories that transcend borders – stories of openness to the world and to otherness. Hashemi works with oil pastels, coloured pencils and acrylics to record, diary-like, private and collective events, as well as emotional and political narratives. Convinced that art requires the presence of others, Hashemi often works with their partner Soufia Erfanian, another exile from Iran, to create four-handed works that enable them to express their feelings without the need for words.