Biography

Alaleh Shakouri (born in Tehran 1980) is an Iranian contemporary artist.

She lives and works in Rome, Italy and Tehran, Iran.

Her practice, evoked from a background of displacement from natal Iran, focuses on themes such as feminism, violence, war, life, identity and belonging. 

Her video works are characterized by adversity and anguish. Moments not of everyday life, but experiences that she personally lived, revealing the secrets that remain within her and within her country today. 

She concentrates on spirituality, religion and culture. Her artwork often depicts pain, calling attention to shadows of a woman facing fear, resistance and escape. Using her own body as the subject to perform and create her pieces, Alaleh displays the nature of femininity affected by the forms of violence of colonialism, repression, war, while portraying a nuance of the serene, powerful and peaceful spirit of a young girl, woman or mother.

The weaponry seen in her pieces are inspired by the bitter period of the Iran-Iraq war that she had lived through.

The black and white colours often used in her production symbolises the contrast existing among the Iranian people and their profound connection with a spiritual realm.