Embodying Essence 2

Mixed media on wood panel.

30x40x2"

Afshani's work is inspired by the emotional and psychological dimensions of human relationships, memory, motherhood, and belonging. In the Embodying Essence series, she reflects on her relationship with her own body, celebrating its strength, vulnerability, and capacity to create and nurture life. Created after becoming a mother, these works are expressions of appreciation for the body that carried and fed her children while undergoing profound transformation.

Combining figurative imagery with symbolic forms, decorative patterns, and translucent layers, Afshani creates visual spaces where personal experiences intersect with broader cultural narratives. Using ink, acrylic, oil paint, and resin on wood panels, she builds surfaces through a process of layering, revealing, and concealing. This material approach reflects her interest in the complexity of identity, the traces of memory, and the invisible forces that shape our sense of self and connection to others.