Oil on canvas
2022

In Three Women, Reihaneh Hosseini once again pushes boundaries forward, tainted with humor and cynicism. A selfportrait, Hosseini stands proud alongside two of her closest friends from the LBGTQ community back in her native Iran. Their somewhat deranged and melancholic appearance is a reflection of how the conservative society in which they live – or rather survive – perceives them. There’s something purposefully disturbing, yet a peaceful and tender affection between the figures seems obvious. These figures are not erotic objects, rather Hosseini speaks against genderism, and in favor of humanity. A contemporary take on The Three Graces, the artist and her friends – like Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia – each bestow a particular gift on humanity, but with a twist. They become a metaphor for a complex approach to gender identity: the artist herself is heterosexual, yet still on a journey exploring her sexual identity, while her friends are respectively lesbian and transexual. How do they fit – as human beings – in their contemporary society, and in particular within the restrained and overly restricted Iranian community?