“The main characters of my series are people, usually children, who somehow are involved with an animal, plant, or environment, which represent the universe we live in. The child represents the naivety, curiosity and playfulness of man. I consider humans to be a clever though naive species.”
Behnaz
At the age of fifteen Behnaz fled from Iran with her family. It was in 1985, a chaotic period of time, where Iraq attempted to invade Iran and millions of Iranians fled from their country. Behnaz’ family fled to Germany. Since then Behnaz has lived in the US, the Middle East and Central Asia. While she lived in the US Behnaz met a Danish exchange student, whom she married and for this reason she lives in Denmark with her husband and two kids today. Earlier art had exclusively been a hobby for Behnaz. A hobby that she learned she did not have the time for when she also had to study, learn new languages etc. It was only a couple of years ago that she resumed art when she moved to Kazakhstan with her family. Because of the language barrier, among others, Behnaz was not able to find work and therefore she was able to find the time and peace to paint again, for the first time since she left Iran.
The fact that Behnaz has had a tumultuous and spectacular life is expressed in her art. By her very precise and lifelike brushstroke we are let in her adventurous and magical universe. As a viewer you are drawn by her imaginative and detailed motives and you cannot avoid to get carried away by Behnaz’ paintings.
Emilie Juul Thorsteinsson, GALLERI V58
