Contractions
Hamraz Bayan
I started working on the collection when I lived in Iran, but finished it after I moved to Denmark in 2012.
The collection has been created over the idea of contraction — culturally and visually. I chose Iranian proverbs and old poems and merged them with the artistic style of old american comic strip illustrations.
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It was absolutely fun for me to draw this particular collection and thus make these two old “enemies” (Iran and America) meet each other through the merger of these different art forms.
The most popular and cheapest Iranian cigarette, Bahaman brings together two very distinct classes of Iranians: intellectuals and artists, and workers. Its small size has earned it the nickname dool which is a slang word used for a small penis. Bahman is mostly smoked by man and has become a very male symbol.
Become my mother’s daughter-in-law Jessica
This sentence is a reference to a cultural trait in Iran from a few decades ago where the man would not directly ask for a woman’s hand in marriage and would instead imply that he would like her to be his mother’s daughter-in-law. This work shows the trend of forced marriages and highlights the importance of the role a mother-in-law played in Iranian families and that a bride was mostly chosen to become her mother-in-law’s companion rather than her husband’s mate.
A man’s wisdom is better than his might
Goddamn it, the herbs are full of mud
‘Khak bar sar’ (ash or dirt on your head) is a Persian expression used to belittle and demean a person or thing and to show disgust. It is said that the root of this expression is the sight created by ash from coal in opium pans landing on the head of addicts, which signified the pitifulness of their lives. Cleaning muddy herbs is a difficult task so when a housewife is faced with such a situation it ruins her day.
Fogholadeh Tamiz, jolo aghab bedon rang, kam kar kard, maveze ba melk
For sale Urgent
Almost brand-new, front and back with original paint, does not have many miles on it, for trade with property
“Front and back with original paint” is used to show the car has been in no accidents and is also a chauvinistic expression with sexual connotation implying virginity.
In Iranian culture, owning a car is so important for some people that they are even willing to trade property for a car.
Charkhesh barat becharkheh
This expression literally translates to “ I hope its wheels spin for you” which in the Persian language means I hope this car works for you for a long time without breaking down.
Hamraz Bayan. Born 1984, Tehran. Studied graphic design, moved to Denmark in 2012.
