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When I reached out to Vahid Sharafian – an LA and New York based artist whose works have been shown at Ropac Gallery in Paris, James Fuentes in New York, ICA London, and even the Venice Biennale – he was in Bali. We had planned a short conversation, but it stretched far longer. There were simply too many themes that couldn’t be ignored: art, religion, the body, feminism, neoliberalism, the courage to be oneself. Vahid spoke about all of it honestly, without hesitation, without fear of being misunderstood.

Art - a legacy in the blood

“My grandfather was a miniaturist, and my uncle became my first teacher when I was six,” Vahid recalls. “Our family has always been filled with creative people -architects, collectors, artists. My father ran an antique shop. I grew up surrounded by art, the smell of paint and old paintings . It was an atmosphere where becoming an artist was almost inevitable.”

The central figure of his childhood was - and still is - his mother, a seamstress and florist with an innate sense of form and taste. “She sewed and designed clothes for us and locals . But she did it with such love that I could spend hours leafing through her magazines - Burda, Vogue, all the 80’s ones ... There were attractive 80’s models , lines, light, poses. I think that’s when my sense of beauty awoke.”

“I don’t belong to a single direction,” he admits. “I’m constantly changing. But in my figurative paintings with women, I’m honest: I love women. They’re the most fascinating creatures in the universe.”

On independence and freedom from trends

Sharafian is often described as part of the “contemporary Persian wave” - at least that’s what I thought, having read his biography. But he only smiles at that: “I’m independent. I’ve contributed a lot to Contemporary art scene, but I can’t assign myself to any movement. My life and my art are one and the same. I don’t follow trends, I’m not interested in the mainstream. I just do what I want. If people like it - great. If they don’t - that’s fine too. It’s the natural expression of who I am.”

That freedom is a conviction hard-earned over the years. Since 2018, Vahid has been creating a series of female portraits.

“At first, I simply approached women and asked if they wanted to be part of a painting. Later it became easier -many started writing to me themselves, wanting to become my muse.i think because my paintings are different than other figurative painters who do only some routin academic soulless stuff!”

He travels constantly, finding inspiration in women from every ethnicity . But he admits: even in the 21st century, nudity still frightens people. “To me, nudity is natural. To be naked to be unmasked -raw, real and utterly you. We’re born naked. But society turned that into a taboo. In one hand When men began to dominate, they started to ‘cover’ women. In other hand the religion which also was running by men! That’s not culture - it’s fear and control.”

“I just create what feels beautiful to me. Being naked is natural. It’s just real. We’re born that way. When the Armenian Art Community published my paintings, I got a wave of hate - comments, insults. I realized that Armenian society and art scene is still kinda conservative , with many taboos, especially around the body. People called me a pervert, a sexist, a misogynist, a fatphobic - all sorts of things. But it all comes from not understanding art and history. They have no idea that I’m showing the beauty of a woman - something aesthetically sublime.”

He doesn’t defend himself; he simply states the reality unfolding around us. During our talk, I began to see that for Vahid, a woman is another universe - where natural beauty becomes a form of freedom.

On feminism, the hijab, and civilization’s hypocrisy

“Modern feminists often defend the hijab, saying it’s their choice,” he says. “But it’s not a choice - it’s an imposed norm. Girls are taught from childhood that the family’s honor depends on a covered head. If your daughter goes without a hijab, you’re a ‘weak man with no honor’ . That’s not culture - that’s control. There are millions of Muslim women, and rich Muslim countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates - they’re major clients of luxury brands: Louis Vuitton, Dior,  and others. These brands make collections for women in hijabs because it’s a huge market. If a revolution against the hijab succeeded, they’d lose millions of customers. That’s why, when Iranian women protested, almost not a single Western feminist voice supported them. It’s all tied to money.”

“Body positivity” and the marketing of comfort

“People often ask me why there are no fat models. Because being fit is beautiful and healthy. Excess weight isn’t normal. A big part of ‘body positivity’ movement was invented to sell more burgers…” Vahid jokes.

“When Chanel , Versace or Gucci feature fat models, it’s not an act of kindness - it’s marketing. They came up with the slogan ‘all bodies are beautiful.’ But that’s not true. Not all bodies are healthy, and not all are beautiful aesthetically . With slogans like that, women are persuaded that there’s nothing they need to change - and that’s convenient for corporations. Because the less a person thinks about themselves, the more they consume.”and the same thing has happened in art scene! Art scene can’t get more impressive without critic! But nowadays we’re having this term that depends it on audience taste saying people have different tastes! Yes but we should remember some tastes are horrible because they’re not trained by history of art and beauty!

The nature of desire and the honesty of art

I asked him directly about criticism and backlash. He answered just as directly: “Even if people call me a pervert, it doesn’t bother me. Man by nature is perverse, if you will. You’ve seen those clips - a three-year-old boy who can’t take his eyes off an attractive woman. It’s in our nature. And if a man doesn’t feel attraction at all, something’s wrong with him. So yes, fine - I’m ‘perverted.’ But as a civilized human being, I must control my desires there’s an edge between being pervert and being creepy! The impulse itself harms no one. The same with my art: they call it erotic. So what?”

“What I truly love about my paintings is that technically they’re strong and they reflect my life. I don’t lie in them,” he continues. “Today’s art scene is full of fakes. People invent any story about themselves just to get into the art world - especially in New York and Los Angeles, where I live and work. Honestly, the art scene is mediocre. I know plenty of people who even changed their identity just to get into a gallery or exhibition,” he says with the weary tone of someone who’s seen too many self-proclaimed geniuses.

“In the 70s and 80s, artists simply created - they wrote, painted, expressed what came from their living life . Art was born from within. Now, in 90% of cases, the woke media dictates everything: they say ‘BLM’ - and dozens of artists start painting Black women; they say ‘body shaming’ - and hordes of painters rush to depict fat girls. It’s disgusting when you have no dignity and no connection to your own art. Art is soul of your living life, art comes from dreams and nostalgia and true feelings , doesn’t matter if they’re dark, sad or beautiful but they’re innocent . How can you sell that?”

On the Caucasus, Armenia, and the borders of consciousness

“Conservatism is a problem,” he says firmly. “The Armenian Art community instagram page sometimes does me a favor by posting my art but people in comments often attacks me which is entertaining reading them sometimes but I feel sad for them ! At the same I have an buncha Armenian friends - open-minded,great artists and modern people. One of them is model Lyuci Yosefian - I painted her twice. Even in conservative cultures there are exotic open minded communities , you see?”

He’s convinced that borders exist only in the mind. “When you travel, read, see the world - your consciousness expands. Even if you grew up in a conservative country with traditional families , you can still be free. The main thing is not to fear experience and to preserve logic -which is exactly what religion has taken from us. As Nietzsche said ; ‘the which is accepted without reason cannot be rejected by reason’ That’s the problem religion creates for many.”

That’s why, for now, the idea of an exhibition in Armenia seems nearly impossible to Vahid.

“I don’t want to take that risk. The comments make it clear that my art wouldn’t be welcomed there. I’d rather not hold an exhibition in Armenia. But nearby -Tbilisi, Georgia - the art scene there is far freer. Still, I’ve been to Armenia, yes: the people are beautiful and kind, the hospitality is incredible.and I’ve in some very cool party!”

Why sincerity is the most radical form of art

“I don’t think about the audience’s reaction,” Vahid says. “I paint what’s poetic, beautiful and mysterious at the same time . I grew up in an intellectual, artistic environment. Since childhood, I saw nude paintings by my grandfather on my parents house walls; I flipped through my mother’s fashion magazines. My father used to say, ‘We have paint instead of blood.’ It’s in me. I don’t care what people think about my Art. I care only about creating a masterpiece. I paint every new work as if it were the last in my life.”

“Your eyes must be trained. It’s work - for both the mind and the gaze. Many people who know nothing about art are shocked when they see my page. But there are others, not from the art world, whose eye is sensitive - they see only beauty and rejoice. Because it is beautiful. Those who don’t know how to look, see only shock. But those who look with their inside - see beauty.”

Liana Aghajanyan
Photo by: Luca Cacciapuoti; Laura Moreau

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