In my paintings, I use my own image as a vehicle. I pose for photographs that serve as source material. An actor playing a part, I place myself into a memory or situation. I become both the subject and the observer, enabling me to see through both subjective and objective eyes.

The figures are swathed, wrapped, costumed, or even coddled with clothing, and they inhabit ambiguous spaces. I cover parts of the face to remove natural points of focus. Often all the viewer sees is the back of the figure. Through careful staging and costuming, I intend other connotations—masks/veils/religious regalia or ceremonial attire—that hearken back to a time when I lived in Iran.