By Katty Biglari
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf that is currently all over the news headlines. It’s also the title of a new body of work by the U.S.-based artist Saya Behnam, which uses pigments sourced from the Strait.
One of those works, “Hormuz 3,” is a finalist in a grant program run by the Washington DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The Art Bank Program (ABP) provides grants for artworks by local artists and nonprofit galleries to be acquired for display in public government spaces. “Hormuz 3” will be on show at the Commission’s Eye St. Gallery in DC from September through December.
Behnam is a multi-media artist working from a studio at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia. Her creations integrate organic materials such as mulberry, kozo, and tissue paper with mineral pigments, natural inks, and gold leaf.
A Tehran University biology graduate, she moved to the United States and completed her studies at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC in 1999. She has exhibited and participated in multiple group shows. https://www.sbehnam.com/strait-of-hormuz
Behnam recently joined Kayhan Life for a conversation about her Strait of Hormuz series, her transition from biology to art, and the impact of events in Iran.
How did the idea for the Strait of Hormuz series develop?
I have always been drawn to regional pigments — botanical, soil, and mineral. I learned that the Strait of Hormuz is extraordinarily rich in mineral ochre pigments in a range of colors. I never had the chance to visit the Strait myself, but friends and family brought me ochre pigments from the area over the years, and I kept them in my studio, ready to work with them someday.
After the conflict began, the weight and meaning of those pigments became something else entirely.
I am not a war artist or a political artist. I consider myself an artist who promotes beauty and life. But the conflict, the wide range of emotions between war and beauty — between nature and destruction — guided me toward the Strait of Hormuz series. In this series, I follow my existing practice of using handmade papers such as Kozo and Mulberry, which I color with the pigments received from the Strait.
The process of folding and building raised petals takes a very long time. Then, with controlled fire, I burn the surface of the paper or create holes. The burn marks are clearly visible. The destruction of something built over long hours of careful work is exactly what war and destruction do to civilization. And yet my pieces still hold beauty — if you don’t know the story, you find something that looks like flower petals. That is exactly what I want. Beauty prevails.
What motivated you to transition from biology to visual arts?
I was always interested in art, from middle school onwards. In Iran, as you know, there is not much freedom to choose your desired field of study. After I finished my bachelor’s degree, I found my way into art — beginning with graphic design and eventually moving into fine art.
Describe your creative process and how it has developed over the years.
I have a deep trust in nature as a fundamental force and in its therapeutic effect on human life in modern society. I believe that by using natural elements in my work — from pigments and color to handmade papers — I can bring the energy of nature into a space and extend it into people’s lives. That belief has been the constant through everything I make.
Calligraphic motifs & patterns are prominent in your early works. Describe the visual elements that connect you to your Iranian roots.
In some pieces I am influenced by Persian calligraphy in a very free and abstract way — using curling, tangled lines as a metaphor that perhaps refers to the unifying forces of nature: roots, winds, currents. At the same time, those curves quietly remind us of Persian calligraphy. The same is true for pattern: sacred geometry in the Persian tradition, drawn from nature and expressed in a simple, geometric way, appears in several of my series.
You are an active participant in the Washington area art scene, have an open studio at the Torpedo Factory, and are a finalist in the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank program for a seventh time. How has the public response to you and your artwork changed over the years?
I have been very fortunate that my art has genuinely connected with the public. My work is held by the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia (Art in Embassies, 2023), the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank, the DC Department of Health and Wellness, the DC Department of Public Works, the Office of Council member Brooke Pinto, and Wiley Rein LLP.
That breadth of placement — from diplomatic residences to public health institutions — tells me that the work crosses boundaries and speaks to many different kinds of people.
How do you see events in Iran manifesting in your future projects?
Events in Iran affect all of us who live outside deeply. As I said, my pieces are not political — but when something wounds humanity and nature, it will find its way into my work, one way or another.
All images are by the artist Saya Behnam.
