I Can be a Snake

Maryam Mohry (1979 Tehran) lives and works in Tehran. Fueled by lighthearted naive sensibility and a sense of sarcasm, what stands out in Maryam Mohry’s works on paper is the narrative quality of her drawings and her passion to fully immerse in the process of creation and experimentation. Taking advantage of the translucent quality of watercolor and staying away from applying thick layers of paint, she finds watercolor and gouache best for crafting impulsive and plausible stories. Since childhood, the artist has had the habit of making cut-outs from her children’s books in order to make up her own versions of the story; a habit that she’s kept in making sketches and etudes for her works ever since. Also a talented sculptor, while addressing environmental concerns, she keeps a sense of playfulness in both her drawings and soft sculptures. And by offering notes of cartoonish eeriness in the humanlike expressions of her characters, she keeps the “game” of storytelling connected within all her works.