Mahvash Mossaed is an Iranian-American based in Southern California. Her poetry and paintings have continued to inspire for over twenty years. Born in Tehran, married in Canada, and having lived both in Europe and Africa as she traveled with her husband on diplomatic tours for the UN, her work is steeped in the traditions, cultures and unique experiences gained among the peoples of four continents. Since then, Mahvash has not only persevered on the domestic front as a wife and mother, Mahvash has achieved international recognition as a poet and painter. Mahvash continues to seek new ways of giving voice to Iranian women.

As testament to the international appeal of her message, Mahvash's canvasses have been exhibited in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Her most recent exhibitions include: The National Museum of Women in the Arts (China), Sanje Museum of Contemporary Arts (Korea), and the American Visionary Museum (Maryland). In addition to gracing the covers of many periodicals and art books, her painting are represented in the private collections of Steven Speilberg and Bijan, to name a few.

Paintings by Mahvash Mossaed

Mahvash's paintings act as a double-edged sword. They are an investigation into the soul, exploring the light and dark side of human nature. The light side of the story shows tranquility and comfort. We see a loving couple, cats and birds, flowers and abundance as the dull side of the sword. The sharper edge is facing our fears and breaking through the limitations that we put on ourselves. The artist welcomes you to her home and to the inner theater of her soul. She invites you to sit in her kitchen while she reveals the secrets about what happens the day after your prince has come. Through her paintings we go on an emotional trip from the merry-go-round spin of codependency to the roller coaster of authenticity. Through her renderings of life we witness the hazards of living in a dollhouse among painted dreams and numbness.Mahvash's paintings are about change. She begins by creating a man to whom she gives all. She empowers him into an angel, she gives him small wings. She continues to give selflessly until she realizes that she has no more to give. She feels empty. She must convert from being a dependent adornment to a self-fulfilling individual. To modify herself, she must be willing to be reduced to ashes so that she can emerge again. Her transformation leaves her family grieving the loss of the compliant wife, the predictable mother, and the dutiful daughter. But she reaches a point where she cannot settle for less than a self-actualized life.Mahvash's paintings are colorful, direct and autobiographical. She comes from a highly regarded literary family in Iran. Her creative life began as a poet. By the age of eighteen, when she left Iran, she was already a nationally known poet. She moved to Montreal, got married and had a child. As a consequence of her husband's career as an architect for the United Nations, she traveled throughout Europe and Africa for years. At a loss for words in her new language, she turned to painting. It was during those years that her work developed into an autobiographical account of her life at home.Her expressionist paintings transcend language. Her work has been exhibited, published and collected throughout the world. Mahvash's paintings are not just about marriage, nor exclusively a woman's story. They are the tale of anyone, male or female, young or old, who has lost herself or himself through giving selflessly. To find oneself is a journey through dungeons and past dragons, the choice of the emotional roller coaster of self-discovery or the sweet and safe merry-go-round. Is happiness a life of comfort at the price of numbness, or is it the joy of daring to fly high and far?