About behzad Mohajer
An artist, activist, and Kurd under totalitarianism.
Cupid in Flight
48” x 48” Giclee print on archival paper.
STORY
01 Early Life
Behzad Mohajer started painting and drawing in early life. Inspired by his grandfather, a well-respected artist in his own right, Mohajer attended an art academy where his work was soon recognized and noted for a distinct style of his own.
After graduating from college he developed his craft with more rigor, sustaining his work through his job as a children’s art teacher.
Mohajer witnessed the therapeutic value of his beloved craft and how building a relationship with art expression has long-lasting influence on children and adults. He saw as his students experiencing war, often internally displaced refugees from Kurdish territories: even with limited resources, the healing power of expressive arts was apparent.
He saw as his students experiencing war, often internally displaced refugees from Kurdish territories: even with limited resources, the healing power of expressive arts was apparent.
Being an artist in a totalitarian system was difficult -especially being a minority
Kurd. The Iranian regime was pressuring Mohjaer to stop stop his art practice artwork; however, I could not
stop what was vital to my existence: art is life, art is breathing and it sustained me
through my fear of retaliation from the system. Finally, they tried to break me: I was
incarcerated for my art and they destroyed all traces of my art work in 1996.
I was eventually released from prison, but they were still harassing me and my
life was in danger, so I left my homeland for political reasons and more specifically to
express my art freely in I998. I was accepted as an asylum seeker and it took seven
years for the United Nations to resettled me to Canada. While I was awaiting to come to
Canada, I didn’t give up my art and I continued my life as an artist and cartoonist.
I worked with a Turkish and European caricaturist and I was collaborating with
them in different pieces. I participated in several exhibitions in Turkey and Europe and
because of my extensive art activities – especially caricatures I was also threatened and
chased by Iranian Islamic government.
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STORY
02 Art &Totalitarianism
Behzad Mohajer started painting and drawing in early life. Inspired by his grandfather, a well-respected artist in his own right, Mohajer attended an art academy where his work was soon recognized and noted for a distinct style of his own.
After graduating from college he developed his craft with more rigor, sustaining his work through his job as a children’s art teacher.
Mohajer witnessed the therapeutic value of his beloved craft and how building a relationship with art expression has long-lasting influence on children and adults. He saw as his students experiencing war, often internally displaced refugees from Kurdish territories: even with limited resources, the healing power of expressive arts was apparent.
He saw as his students experiencing war, often internally displaced refugees from Kurdish territories: even with limited resources, the healing power of expressive arts was apparent.
Being an artist in a totalitarian system was difficult -especially being a minority
Kurd. The Iranian regime was pressuring Mohjaer to stop stop his art practice artwork; however, I could not
stop what was vital to my existence: art is life, art is breathing and it sustained me
through my fear of retaliation from the system. Finally, they tried to break me: I was
incarcerated for my art and they destroyed all traces of my art work in 1996.
I was eventually released from prison, but they were still harassing me and my
life was in danger, so I left my homeland for political reasons and more specifically to
express my art freely in I998. I was accepted as an asylum seeker and it took seven
years for the United Nations to resettled me to Canada. While I was awaiting to come to
Canada, I didn’t give up my art and I continued my life as an artist and cartoonist.
I worked with a Turkish and European caricaturist and I was collaborating with
them in different pieces. I participated in several exhibitions in Turkey and Europe and
because of my extensive art activities – especially caricatures I was also threatened and
chased by Iranian Islamic government.