Interview: Parya ShabDar
Luca Curci talks with Parya ShabDar during BODYSPACES, first appointment of CANVAS INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2024, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello in Venice.

Parya ShabDar, born in the last days of the summer of 1983 in the ancient land of Iran (Persia) in the historic city of art and culture, Tabriz, was a child of revolution and war. The Islamic revolution led by an oppressive regime of fundamentalists who were (and still are) steadfast in destroying all signs of art and culture in Iran, had ravaged her beautiful country by the time she was born. She happened to be born in the epicenter of a devastating war between Iran and Iraq with bombs and missiles raining over cities and the news of perished civilians and soldiers was a part of daily life. Parya grew up in a polarizing environment. In the streets and at school, a blood-thirsty, anti-liberty, and anti-art narrative was pushed aggressively by the Islamist hardliners, which was at odds with the intellectual and art-loving environment at home. She had to learn to cope and internalize the bulk of her pain. A pain that later in life was expressed through her art, intertwined with her insatiable desire for life. As a young woman, Parya decided to leave Iran and her loving family to travel to Europe and broaden her perspective on the free world. In 2009 she got married and decided to live in Sweden with her husband in the small and important textile city of Borås and to start a family in a liberal society. 

While learning the Swedish language and customs, Parya was raising their son and working two shifts. She welcomed the challenge because she was working hard to attain what she loved while enjoying the newfound freedom to express herself and her art the way she liked, something she never had the luxury of back in her home country.  The hard work paid off and in 2015, Parya graduated in international fashion design. In May of the same year, she was hired as a fashion and graphic designer by the reputable local fashion brand, Wiges. In 2017, while working at Wiges, she started teaching fashion illustration and print pattern design at Nordiska Textil Akademin in Boars. Seeing more potential in doing what she absolutely loves, she founded her own consulting company, Ora Design, in 2020 offering consultation and design work to other businesses. In the autumn of 2023, Parya showcased her art in her first group show in Boras and in early 2024, she organized her first solo show in a local art gallery, which was well received by the community. This small success led to an interview in a local paper that recognized her passion and tireless efforts. She is looking forward to her future shows, some of which are already confirmed for 2024 and 2025. Parya’s passion for life and liberty, and the pain and pressure she endured and witnessed throughout her life as an Iranian-Swedish woman are evident in her art. She wishes to be a voice, no matter how small, for all the women who suffer social oppression and yearns for a day when all the people are free to express themselves and live in harmony and peace with each other. 

Luca Curci – What is art for you? 
Parya ShabDar – Art is my language to express my own emotions and emotions I witness, in the surrounding reflections of the time and history, away from any limit or judgement. I believe art serves as a mirror to life reflecting the unseen and unspeakable within what we experience. It’s a kind of connection between souls, the connection between who we know, and who we don’t. 

LC – What is the trigger that leads you to paint?
PS – It is often the unseen and unspoken pain, experiences and memories, and episodes of my personal journey worthy of recording on the canvas. It could also be my trust in a moment of exploding intuition and spontaneous act of creation. This approach allows me to tap into my subconscious mind, and then the tools and colors reveal themselves. 

LC – What do you think about art on social media? Are they turning into the new showcases of contemporary art?
PS – Social media is the loudest amplifier of the collective psyche. It propagates anything and everything with little scrutiny or filter, which might seem suitable for showcasing art, and it is, in most cases. However, in my opinion, it has the tendency to make art seem pedestrian at times, and too open for the scrutiny of the untrained eyes. Although such chaos, at times, can be beneficial to liberation, proliferation and enrichment of art, the sheer noise of the media makes me feel uneasy at times. 

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way? 
PS – I started painting landscapes and flowers with watercolor in my early teens, which for a while dampened my frustration and my search for identity and essence. Later, closer to adulthood, wading into acrylic and expressionism, easier to express myself, but it was not easy to reach my viewer. Until I started to dare to test myself to find my language to speak firmly with my art. The move to Sweden became a temporary outlet for my search for peace, finding my peace and identity. I slowed down at times as my career went towards commercial design, a world far from what my art wants to tell. Then it happened again, a moment of explosion and finally, I found myself at home again. Abstract art found me and I found it. Possibly one of the most challenging styles for an artist in terms of feelings, but for me it quickly became the language that became ME. 

LC – How is your creative process?
PS – The moment of creation could strike at any moment. It could be any time while at the office, driving, or chilling with a glass of wine. Inspirations surround me in various ways, daily. Sometimes it starts with a tiny sketch on paper or a drop of color, and sometimes when I’m in front of a canvas, throwing paint on the canvas for a start. It is often unplanned. I let the feelings pass and let go until one takes over. The music in the background evokes my words (color and shape). Blues is by far the strongest supporter, but depending on the mood and feeling, Iranian classical music can also be magical. Then I’m in. I work in many layers, painting layer upon layer until I find the balance that is satisfying. The work always starts with a brush, but often hand takes over. Working on canvas with my fingers gives another strength to be able to control my emotions precisely on canvas. There is virtually no barrier between me and the canvas once my skin touches the pure white roughness of the canvas. 

LC – Your last artistic production attracted us, has the art work presented been created for the exhibition or as a part of preexisting works? 
PS – Selected arts were all a part of my existing work: “Headland and Depth” from The Fear collection and the solo “Five Days of creation” to name a couple. 

LC – Do you agree with our vision of art and what do you think about the theme of the exhibition? 
PS – Absolutely! I too experience the theme of the exhibition, “Body Space” as a physical engagement every time I work. The act of creating art is inherently physical. Whether it’s the movement of a painter’s brush, the sculptor’s hands shaping clay, or the dancer’s body in motion, the physical actions are a direct extension of the artist’s inner world. This physical engagement can be meditative, allowing artists to connect deeply with their own bodies and the materials they work with. 

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
PS – It was a subtle, unobtrusive, fun, and peaceful opening to something to look forward to. I enjoyed it and appreciated the efforts and care that went into it.

LC – What is your idea about ITSLIQUID GROUP? 
PS – This is how a cyber art community should be. It’s a great platform that helps artists feel connected to and stay informed about the international art and culture community, events, opportunities, and so on.