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Fariba Shekari is a Persian artist born in Tehran, Iran on October 27, 1960. She moved to America at the age of 18, filled with a passion to bring the traditions, stories, and history of her native land to the West. Inspired by the beauty and culture of her homeland, Fariba draws on Ancient Persian mythology and symbolism to visually express the power of the human spirit. As a dual Iranian-American citizen, she has a deep appreciation for the universal human experience shared across cultures and aims to present this in her creations. A key aspect of Fariba's work is the portrayal of the powerful feminine spirit in the world. Fariba's early introduction to this female energy came through the traditional Iranian communal bath, where women and children converse and bathe free of shame and pretense. Despite such traditions, contemporary Iranian culture continues to view the female, both physically and spiritually, as something to be covered and concealed. In her work, Fariba grapples with this conflicted cultural relationship towards feminine power. The bared breast or lightly clothed female figure typically depicted in her paintings represents a powerful transgression of social norms that is seldom seen in Iranian art. In this way, her work represents not only a triumph of irrepressible feminine energy, but is also a challenge to those seeking to suppress the indomitable freedom of the human spirit. Through her art, Fariba encourages all cultures to abandon their divisive fears of the other and embrace the positive universal energy that unites us all.