Becoming Dragon

What if you could rewrite a part of history? For Iranian multidisciplinary artist Nazanin Moradi, the answer begins at the very start of time.

Drawing on her own experiences of patriarchy and oppression growing up in Iran, Moradi sets out to challenge male domination and toxic masculinity by reimagining an ancient Mesopotamian myth: the battle in which the powerful dragon goddess of the oceans, Tiamat, is killed by the storm god Marduk. In Moradi’s hands, mythology becomes a space for rebellion — a fragmented world in which history, fantasy and gender can be rewritten.

Over six months, Sahar Zand follows Moradi across London as she creates an ambitious new body of work spanning textile design, interpretive dance, digital art, collage, painting and sculpture, often using her own body as part of the creative process. As the work nears completion, protests erupt across Iran following the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, giving Moradi’s exploration of women, resistance and power an unexpected and deeply contemporary resonance.

November 2024  ·   In The Studio