Parastou Forouhar had already been living in Germany for several years when her parents Parvaneh and Dariush Forouhar, both leading voices of Iran's liberal, democratic opposition, were murdered in their home by members of the Iranian secret service on 21 November 1998.

Forouhar studied at the Academy of Art in Tehran from 1984 to 1990. They had trained her very well in her craft, "but free thinking, the core concept of art, was forbidden." In 1991, after applying for a fellowship, she moved to Germany with her two small sons to take up advanced studies at the University of Art and Design in Offenbach am Main, graduating in 1994. During a visit to Tehran the following year, she experienced the chicanery of the Iranian regime at first hand: when she tried to return to Germany with her sons, she was refused permission to leave the country and their passports were confiscated. Several weeks were to pass until their passports were returned with single exit visas. It was the last time she was to see her parents.

Forouhar uses a variety of media in her artwork: drawing, painting, photography, video installations and animation. Many of her works are multimedia creations. They are profoundly influenced by the political, religious and social conditions (and violence) in Iran. The murder of her parents has also become a key point of reference in her artistic and political work: every year in November, Parastou Forouhar travels to Tehran to join friends and companions of her parents at a memorial event. And every year, she is exposed to the chicanery of the regime and the risk of reprisals.

Further reading:

Das Geheimnis des Schmetterlings. Iranische Künstlerin Parastou Forouhar. Porträtsendung des Bayerischen Rundfunks, 2012

Susanne Winder: Das Ornament als Denkfigur. Ornamentale Strukturen im künstlerischen Werk von Parastou Forouhar. Bielefeld 2021

Werner Meyer, Melanie Ardjah (Hg.): Parastou Forouhar, im Zeichen des Ornaments. Ausstellungskatalog Kunsthalle Göppingen. Göppingen 2018.

Selected works:

Papillon Collection I und II (2010-2015 and 2019-2023)

Written Room (Installation, since 1995)

Water Mark. A tribute to the drowning refugees (2015)

I Surrender (Installation, since 2006)