Today we’d like to introduce you to Behnaz Ghasempour.
Hi Behnaz, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Iran, where, from an early age, I discovered a deep connection to drawing and painting. They became my first language to understand and express the world around me. In a society where many feelings and thoughts were left unspoken, drawing and painting offered me a quiet yet powerful way to listen, reflect, and communicate.
Thanks to the encouragement of my family, who supported my passion despite cultural expectations that often favored more conventional careers, I pursued art seriously. I went on to study it at university. Over time, my practice evolved from purely representational drawing and painting into an interdisciplinary approach that combines drawing with materials deeply tied to my personal and cultural history, such as copper and thread.
Today, as an MFA candidate in Studio Art in the United States, my work explores themes of human connection, memory, distance, and resilience, especially shaped by my experience living between cultures. What began as a private act of observation has grown into a body of work that invites others to reflect on their own invisible threads of belonging and connection.
At every stage, this journey has strengthened my belief that art is not just an object or product, but a shared space, a place where empathy, reflection, and a deeper sense of presence can unfold.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, my path hasn’t always been smooth.
I was born and raised in Iran, where choosing art as a professional path wasn’t common, and many families preferred their children to become doctors or engineers. As a woman, I also had to navigate additional cultural expectations and limitations that often made it harder to be fully seen and heard in creative spaces. Fortunately, my family supported me in following my passion, but broader cultural pressures and prevailing stereotypes still made the journey challenging.
When I moved to the United States to study and build a life in a new culture, I faced a different set of struggles, from being far from my family to redefining my personal and artistic identity in an unfamiliar environment.
Yet, these very difficulties became a source of inspiration for my work. Living between two cultures taught me how to transform silence, distance, longing, and the experience of womanhood into creative energy, allowing me to explore themes of human connection and emotional memory through my art.
Today, I’m grateful to share these stories and experiences through my practice, creating spaces for empathy and reflection. For me, these challenges weren’t just obstacles; they became an essential part of what gives depth and meaning to my journey as an artist.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an Iranian visual artist currently based in the United States and pursuing my MFA in Studio Art, my work centers on exploring human connection and emotional memory. Drawing is my primary language; through lines, I process presence, absence, and inner life. Alongside drawing, I work with materials such as copper and thread, which hold deep personal and cultural significance. These elements allow me to give form to what is often difficult to express in words.
What sets my practice apart is its focus on the subtle, often overlooked aspects of human vulnerability and resilience. In a world shaped by speed and distraction, I strive to create spaces that invite pause, reflection, and quiet empathy.
I am most proud of following my own artistic path with honesty and loyalty to my roots, rather than conforming to conventional molds. My work serves as a bridge between personal emotion and collective memory, offering viewers moments where they might recognize part of their own stories within mine.
Ultimately, I aim to create meaningful and contemplative spaces where people can connect, reflect, and feel part of a shared human experience. This commitment to tenderness, nuance, and authenticity truly distinguishes my work.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is creating work that builds quiet yet powerful bridges between people, across cultures, across distances, and inner worlds. At the heart of my practice is a deep belief in connection: not just in the visible sense, but in the subtle emotional threads that hold us together even when we are separated by geography, language, or history.
Growing up in Iran and now living in the United States, I’ve witnessed how art can become a shared language where silence, memory, and vulnerability can speak. It matters to me to create spaces, through drawing, copper, thread, and installation, where viewers feel invited to pause, reflect, and see parts of themselves in someone else’s story.
In a fast-paced world that often values certainty and surface, I find meaning in honoring slowness, softness, and the unseen layers of human experience. What matters most, ultimately, is that my work can hold space for empathy, reflection, and a sense of belonging that transcends borders and differences. Because, at its core, art, like life, is about connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.behnazghasempour.com/
- Instagram: behnaz.ghp
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behnaz-gh-6420b61b9
- Other: [email protected]
