Iranian refugee expresses her journey through art at Leamington gallery

Born in Persia in 1969 to an Iranian mother and Baraini father, Souren Mousavi studied Fine Art at the University of Tehran, where she actively began to use her art in the fight for women’s rights.

This led to her arrest by the regime, which considered her portrayals of the female form pornographic and offensive.

Souren was imprisoned for a long and harrowing period of eight years, from which she finally managed to escape, acquiring refugee status in the UK in 2006.

At times colourful and Daliesque, with echoes of Futurism, her works - now on display at Gallery 150 - unfold in a series of obsessive images that refer to motherhood, creation and the power and dignity of the female realm.

At others, they are more introspective and dark - indignation smoulders behind hurt and challenging eyes; vulnerable yet proud and voluptuous female forms seem to cower in the shadows, longing for a sanctuary, far from the cruelty that mankind can inflict on its fellow human beings.

The figures appear almost perfect, unscathed, implying that their souls or beauty, be it inner or outer, cannot be defiled, no matter what befalls them.

The use of colour, combined with recurring elements from nature, symbolise the artist’s need for humanity in a world of brutality, where freedom of expression, sexuality and intimacy is prohibited.

In this show, the Stratford-based artist presents a series of watercolours, oils, acrylics, pastels and drawings that explore her own emotions and experiences and her difficult and painful journey to freedom.

The exhibition is on until Sunday November 18. The gallery in Livery Street is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 6pm, and on Sundays from 11am to 4pm.

To see more of Souren’s work, visit www.sourenmousavi.co.uk and to find out more about the gallery, visit www.gallery150.co.uk