Maryam Keyhani

Throughout their lives, people try to fit into various frameworks. That united around some idea or belief they find satisfaction and inner peace. This need to fit in and the desire for happiness is unthinkable without the feeling of freedom. However, often trapped by various rules, both written and unwritten, opinions and expectations, with the feeling of denied freedom, we move away from the feeling of happiness and satisfaction. Constant struggles between achievable and unachievable wishes and various obstacles make a large part of dreams and aspirations to be forgotten. Only the bravest don't care about fitting in, they don't live the life of "what others will say" and decide to trust that inner voice that guides them. If "being different" didn't have a pejorative connotation, maybe there would be more brave people...Why the whole introduction about freedom? Well, because for me the concept of freedom is inseparable from the name Maryam Keyhani! Today I am talking to you about a versatile artist and my personal heroine.

She grew up in war-torn Tehran (Iran), and at the age of 13 she moved to Toronto. As she says, like many generations who have experienced war, she remembers little of her childhood: "as a child, I created this fantasy world as a defense mechanism, but then it turned into a real advantage, it serves me well because reality does nothing for me''. She inherited her artistic talent from her father, Mostafa Keyhani, a famous Iranian impressionist painter. She admits that she was always shy and quiet. She felt different from her surroundings, but she couldn't express it. That's why she spent a lot of time alone in her world of imagination and fantasy. Although someone would look negatively at such a period of childhood, she believes that it was crucial in her growing up. After enrolling at OCAD University in Toronto where she studied painting and sculpture, Maryam finally finds her place under the sun and realizes the feeling of belonging. She revealed that "there is still a place for those like her".

Maryam and her father Mostafa

During one year of study in Florence, she becomes fascinated by chandeliers! She spent her time painting chandeliers, but also collecting parts of old ones and creating her own. She explains that the chandeliers represented an elegant woman who is both awkward and strange and complex but really glamorous! A description that is so reminiscent of her 😊 . With the form of the chandelier, as a logical sequence, there were hats! Today, hats are her trademark! She has a huge collection of hats (over 100 pieces) and you will rarely see her without one, maybe only when she is showering or sleeping 😊 . "Of course I think they're beautiful, but that's not the reason why I can't live without them. They are my armor! You know how children have a doodoo (a favorite toy), and that's them for me!'' Although aware that her extravagant hats attract attention, she uses them to hide from views and with them she feels protected.

Her first steps in creating hats included a collection of headpieces for brides. She created different pieces for all those women who wanted something unusual for their special day.

As the hats that existed in her paintings and in her imagination did not exist in reality, she decided to create unique pieces just for herself. But then messages started arriving asking where her hats could be found, and thus the Maryam Keyhani hat collection was born.

Her hats and headpieces are surrealistic pieces that transform any fashion combination. They don't just serve as an accessory, the rest of the clothing acts as an accessory against it, and they are the main stars. Maryam has no formal education in making and designing hats and sees that as an advantage, she is not limited by rules and in her head everything is possible! The power of the freedom spirit!!!

Her imagination is such a dominant factor in her creation that, as she says, she often dreams of hats and wakes up wondering where she got that reference from. Like any creative person, Mary is influenced by the world around her, but "it is difficult to narrow down and identify what triggers a certain idea". I think that for all professions dealing with the "beautiful" it is important to feed the eye. It is necessary to constantly discover new things, travel, look at paintings, sculptures, photographs, read books, watch movies in order to create and supplement inspiration, which Maryam is a master of. The best things are the result of a mixture of various inspirations. When you see her works, the colors and forms remind you of some general known things, but again you can't point your finger and say yes, that's it, and that's what makes her a fantastic artist.

What sets her hats apart from others is that she doesn't make them with fashion in mind. She sees them as an extension of personality and character. Wherever she goes, her hats attract attention. On Instagram, Maryam shared videos of the women she lends the hat to try it on, and the smiles and transformation that happens when they put the hat on is incredible 😊 .

Through every piece he creates, she runs her philosophy of life. She reminds us that not everything has to be so serious. We don't have to take ourselves too seriously. Yes, she knows she creates crazy and extravagant hats and that they may not be for everyone, but isn't that what makes it so beautiful? Find a "small" number of people who will appreciate the same things as you? What fashion piece will cause someone to come up to you, give you a compliment, try on a hat and start dancing with you in the garden of a cafe in Italy 😊 ? These are the situations that Maryam experiences thanks to her determination not to give up because of what "someone will say". "They (hats) push people out of their comfort zone, break down boundaries and change perceptions, and for me it's just art!" And other creative people recognize and appreciate her style. At a Vogue event, Maryam wore her black hat and cascading plaid dress made from curtains. Manolo Blahnik approached her and asked, "Who are you, marvellous being , and what are you wearing?" Ok, goals 😊.

She believes that "adults need more playfulness", and Maryam is made of play! When something or someone cannot be placed in certain time frames, then we are talking about timeless value! Her character and work do not fit into the past, but neither do they fit into the present. Maryam lives in a magical time period that took the best of all worlds and we are lucky to be a part of that reality. It is surrealism and renaissance at the same time! A Persian princess who lives in some European court whose chambers are pink and full of cakes and sweets made of textiles, but who dresses both like a queen and a jester 😊.

Feathers, silks, ruffles, brocade, bows, tufts, stripes, big collars, huge sleeves, plaids, massive dresses, hats of all shapes and sizes. No, this is not part of the imaginary court where Maryam is the queen, this is the content of her atypical wardrobe 😊 . In addition to hats, you can also buy sunglasses on her website, now in two designs. The last pair was inspired by the fabulous Peggy Guggenheim. When a legend inspires a legend! There are also bags in the shape of hats, a belt in the shape of a hand and dolls that are real small fabric sculptures, characters from her paintings brought to life. You must visit her website!

As you can see, Maryam creates everything! But she is primarily a fine artist. She paints abstract female figures with creamy acrylic paint dressed in incredible creations, which I believe serve as inspiration for her own 😊. I don't know if those ladies are dressed like Maryam or Maryam like them 😊 .

To the traumas and the dark world Maryam brings colors every day. The ladies in her pictures are classy and wacky. They live simultaneously in the 18th and 21st centuries, just like Maryam 😊. She considers it extremely romantic when someone buys works of art for themselves, which is often the case with her customers. On her website, there is the possibility of online shopping, but the real way is actually on her Instagram profile. Sending a screenshot to the inbox, so as we say in Montenegro " who's the first to get a girlfriend" I guess it makes no sense in English 😊. You have to experience her online sales on Instagram stories to understand what I'm talking about, creative chaos at its finest 😊 . Maryam's work is perhaps the only thing on my wishlist where I can't decide what I want, but let's say that a gallery wall is planned 😊 . One day I guess 😊.

She has created hundreds of playful characters and her imagination seems to be endless. I would not engage in art criticism of her works, because I am not an expert in such things. I consider the technical interpretation of the work uninteresting and personal taste a futile topic 😊. Art either evokes emotions or leaves you indifferent and that is the only true measure. Each of her pictures carries a message that I deeply identify with, and that's enough for me. If the artist wanted to describe his inspiration and work with words, then it wouldn't be a painting 😊! So let your eyes and imagination see and feel everything you need in the following pictures but keep in mind this is the smallest portion of her work...

Today, Marjam lives in Berlin with her husband Ali and two children Rumi and Dali. And their family pictures are like part of a movie set!

of course Maryam had a hat on her head after giving birth 😊

Whenever I discover an interesting artist, my curiosity immediately clicks and I look for what the space in which they live and create looks like. Her living space exceeded my expectations!

She describes it as a candy store. She says she likes it when other children come to visit and see it as a "children's place". She feels that every room is a room for toys and that makes her happy. A spacious apartment that provides everyone with enough space for all activities, nevertheless, it is full of her uniqueness. Murano chandeliers, a studio in which creative chaos reigns, a wall full of hats, a bowl with artificial fruit, unusual candlesticks, her canvas sculptures, a glass display case with Catholic hats*, a huge cake in the corner, rag dolls, modern furniture, a gallery wall full of paintings that made together with her father, a wardrobe with hat handles, embroidered hats on the carpet, a Bauhaus bed with legs in the shape of geometric bodies, candlesticks that seem to melt, a bust of Proust decorated with a hat, ceramic Pierrots, art books, velvety pink sculptures, list goes on 😊. Her goal was to keep the apartment from looking decorated, and she succeeds in that! When decorating the home, Maryam created a harmonious and inspiring space where everything is allowed. Her artistic spirit is visible in every corner. I hope that one day she will decide to create a home collection 😊.

*As we give meanings to objects ourselves, symbolism has always been interesting to me. On my last trip, I visited a Catholic store that sells religious items from candles to priest's robes. Of course, I didn't find myself there by chance, I purposefully went in search of Amaranth beret in pink color 😊 . An older gentleman who spoke little English was very willing to sell me that hat, and I was lucky that he only had that one in the shop. As I didn't have a ready answer for him about why I need that hat, and what size I needed, his surprised face is something I will remember forever. But I think if I told him that I only need it for a decoration because it reminds me of an Iranian artist who paints pink women and wears crazy hats he wouldn't understand😊. Her trip to the Vatican and the purchase of several berets remained in my memory, and that pink one with pom poms is something I had to have. Because-aesthetically pleasing 😊. I have always loved the aesthetics of Christianity and some moral principles, but I am not a religious person. But if there is a decorated grandiose church nearby, I'm going in 😊. The HBO series The young pope and The new pope is something you have to watch, one of my favorite series, so this beret is next to Maryam a reminder of that show 😊 . M. did not agree to take a picture of me with a beret when we go to the Vatican, I hope he will change his mind after this detailed explanation, if nothing, at least now it is clear what a Catholic bishop's hat is doing in our living room 😊 .

Finally, I suggest you to follow her on Instagram, because following Maryam's authentic artistic way of life is a real pleasure. She shows the process of creating paintings, glamorous and not so glamorous aspects of her life with the obligatory dose of humor. While Maryam is on Instagram, for me it is not dead yet 😊.

Support living artists, the dead ones don't need it 😊.

M.

*all photos taken from Maryam's website and Instagram*