Artist Behzad Shishegaran’s self-portraits promote face masks during pandemic
TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Iranian painter and graphic designer Behzad Shishegaran has displayed a selection of his self-portraits wearing a face mask to encourage people to put on face masks during the coronavirus epidemic.
He has tried to put the spotlight on the role of a face mask during the pandemic in saving one’s life through his own language of art.
“The spread of COVID-19 made me decide to think of my own self-portraits as the main topic of the online exhibit to better showcase the importance of wearing a face mask and observing social distancing in the battle with the coronavirus,” the artist told the Persian service of ISNA on Sunday.
This is the artist’s second online exhibit which aims to promote the culture of wearing a face mask in these hard days of coronavirus.
Like his previous exhibit, the artists uploaded one new work every day for 10 days from July 30 to August 9.
Shishegaran displayed a collection of his artworks on coronavirus in an online exhibition on the Instagram, Facebook and Telegram accounts in April.
He invited the artists in general to take the issue seriously and play their own great parts in improving the public culture in the fight with this new virus.
“Unfortunately 40 to 50 percent of the people still do not wear face masks and do not observe social distancing,” he said.
During the home quarantine in April, Shishegaran presented his first online exhibit.
“I gave much thought to my artistic life. Art is connected with the hearts of people and I have the honor to have been connected with their hearts for over half a century,” he had said.
“The truth is that we are all living in isolation with great limits these days. We are all in pain and we are all strangers in one another’s hearts. Art, which is ignorant of people’s life and pain, surely remains neutral, and that is why I used these restrictions as a great opportunity to hold a painting exhibition to reflect the atmosphere we are living in,” he had explained.
He had called his first exhibit a tribute to the devoted medical staff and those who died of COVID-19.
source: Tehran Times