Maryam Majd Art Projects (MMAP) in Collaboration with Soo Contemporary Presents
“Tree of Life”, an Exhibition of Shadi Parand’s Work
15 November – 13 December 2024
2nd Floor, Soo Contemporary, Tehran

Maryam Majd Art Projects (MMAP), in collaboration with Soo Contemporary, presents the solo exhibition of Shadi Parand’s artworks on the second floor of Soo Contemporary.
Shadi Parand (b. 1966, Tehran) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Tehran, whose creative journey began over three decades ago with her professional experience in fashion design. After gaining international recognition for her innovative and unique artistic approach, she has, in recent years, shifted her focus from Haute Couture to the Visual Arts. By incorporating fabric into her collages, a technique she refers to as “painting with fabric”, she has expanded the range of mediums she employs in her work.
Shadi’s fabric paintings attracted international recognition from the very beginning. She has exhibited her recent body of work in Europe featuring Iranian motifs like the tree of life and cedar tree, which have earned her awards and recognition. In 2022, she also participated in the Contemporary Art Triennial in Paris, where she received critical acclaim.
In this exhibition, the presence of the tree, spanning the length and breadth of life, serves as the central theme, layered with pieces of old fabric—remnants of two consecutive generations’ professional lives, each carrying its own story. These works, on one hand, narrate the creator’s sensory experiences along her personal life journey, and on the other, continue her unique, playful, and inventive approach to expressing her inner world, an approach previously manifested in her fashion designs. Her works also reflect her effort to uncover deeper meanings and depict Iranian cultural values, which, in her view, have remained hidden from the world due to social and political reasons.
From childhood, Shadi Parand developed a deep, direct connection with certain elements shared across Persian miniatures, carpets, nature, and the visual and literary imagery found in the poetry of Hafez, Saadi, Ferdowsi, and Rumi, including the motif of the tree. This connection was nurtured by her father, who had a great passion for Iranian paintings, carpets, and artifacts, which he collected, and who often took her on journeys into nature, sharing and reading from Iranian classical literature. Traces of this influence can be seen in Shadi’s personal designs and in the garments, she created through a process that went beyond conventional fashion design, evident across her three decades of professional work. Her mother’s career as a highly skilled and renowned couturier also provided Shadi, from a young age, with the opportunity to spend time in her mother’s workshop, playing with fabrics, spools of thread, and colors. This experience allowed her not only to learn sewing skills but also to explore diverse ways of expressing her creative vision.
In Shadi Parand’s latest works, currently on display, the rich, layered compositions, featuring diverse textures and pieces of fabric, evoke a sense of tactile storytelling. As a multidisciplinary artist, Shadi views her art as a journey of liberation and exploration. Guided by a need for self-expression and simplicity, she embraces materials that are both tangible and easily accessible to her—an approach that reflects her commitment to sustainable design as well as her respect for nature.
Shadi Parand received training in fashion design at prestigious institutions such as the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and Parsons School of Design in New York. Additionally, her exposure to creative environments and interactions with renowned designers and artists significantly contributed to the development of her unconventional approach to art. Notable international highlights of Shadi Parand’s career include the exhibition of her fashion-related designs at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art event in London in 2009, and her participation in the prominent “Iranian Day” event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2004.

Artist Statement

“The Tree of Life” exhibition invites viewers on an introspective journey, addressing the universal human essence that resides within us all. Through a series of hand-stitched fabric collages made from antique textile scraps, my works capture the ebb and flow of life’s journey. Life is portrayed as an intricate and interconnected voyage—shaped by time, circumstances, and the natural rhythms of existence. This journey takes two forms: a vertical path, represented by the trees, and a horizontal one, embodied by the sailboats, both reflecting the spiritual wayfaring in all beings.

This body of work was created during a deeply challenging period, marked by sorrow and pain. Yet, the act of creation became a transformative process, filling my spirit with joy, pleasure, and renewed enthusiasm. It is this emotional spectrum—the weight of sorrow and the uplifting power of joy—that I hope to share with the viewer. Each stitch carries a story, each fabric scrap holds memory, and together they aim to evoke feelings of connection, resilience, and renewal.

“The Tree of Life” is more than an exhibition; it is a tribute to all living beings and their enduring journeys. It reflects the dynamic interplay of pain and joy, stillness and movement, rootedness and freedom—an invitation to explore the boundless flow of life within and around us.