Hana Shahnavaz is known for her vibrant large-scale ‘miniature’-style paintings characterized by a highly detailed technique. Her art explores nature as a unifying force, and the rooted, earth-bound feminine power of renewal and fecundity. A recurring motif in her work is the tree, symbolizing the union of Earth and Spirit, humanity and nature, and the delicate balance between tranquility and untamed vitality. Here, an allegorical tree stands in for the orb of the earth itself, Mother-Earth, which draws nourishment from the ordered and unknown cosmos. Rooted in Persian wisdom traditions, yet resonating with universal themes, her work invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with the natural world through beauty, color, and symbolism.
Hana Shahnavaz
b. 1985
Sending Miracles to Mother Earth
2022
Hand-made paint (minerals, plant and modern pigments)
Austrian crystals on linen canvas
39 × 39 in (100 × 100 cm)
Hana Shahnavaz
b. 1985
Hana Louise Shahnavaz (Moazzeni) is a British-Iranian painter based in London; She makes use of a variety of colored pigments, some of which she prepares herself, as well as stones, glass crystals and 24ct gold, creating a jeweled modality. Shahnavaz is deeply committed to the preservation of nature and the fertility of the soil. She continues to be inspired by her Persian heritage of art and literature, classical and folkloric. She holds degrees from both the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London, and the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts (now King’s School).
