ArtRayME: Azadeh Jafarian: Born in 1973, Bita Vakili is a well-known figure in Middle Eastern art. On April 18, 2012, at the age of 39, she sold her painting "Dreaming New York" at Christie's Dubai for $45,000. In the years that followed, she sold five more pieces at Christie's Dubai, with the lowest price being $25,000.

Vakili recently displayed 11 pieces from her two-year professional phases, which spanned 2017 to 2024, in a solo exhibition named "The Guardian of Treasure" at Tehran's Nian Art Gallery. She has painted abstracts for years, but in her latest series, she has openly portrayed feminine characters.

Regarding the rationale for this shift in strategy, Vakili tells ArtDayMe: "I haven't changed all at once. This is a 30-year procedure. I progressed alongside society, the world, and my personal experiences."

She goes on: "The lyrical, romantic, and mystical atmosphere that inspired my abstract paintings gradually gave way to the figurative as my experiences expanded, as did my perspective and the world around me. Of course, this world remains suspended between figurative and abstract."

The Iranian artist makes the point that, like her, people nowadays are involved in many aspects of life.

"Humans suffer and wish to be free of all sorrow. Together, these emotions are depicted in my canvases. My present-day worries about people and their situations have given my paintings from this era more lifelike figures."

Vakili claims that if her artwork contains lyrical or delicate elements, it serves as a sort of reminder of the hope and desire that people will eventually be able to touch those areas in real life.

In her artwork, the female figure represents homeland, motherhood, and refuge.

"In a world full of pain and upheaval, a woman finds a unique expression as a confidant and source of stability and calm. I am a woman, so I naturally see the world through a woman's eyes. In my works, femininity stands for safety, hope, and a return to human ideals. In some ways, the woman in my works serves as a reminder of their special place and function in creating and providing security for the globe."

According to Vakili, the use of wood, staples, and screws on her canvases, as well as the transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, occurred over time and as her concerns, thoughts, and desires grew.

"My inner self can no longer be expressed with just paint and a brush. Actually, a variety of tools come into my work organically and in response to internal demands. I resorted to other materials when I thought paint and brushes could not adequately capture the profundity of my desires."

Vakili was able to express herself more deeply and show more layers of emotion and experience thanks to these materials.

"Of course, collages are less common in my most recent pieces in the Guardian of Treasure series, where I focus on utilizing a range of colors, textures, and materials. I stopped using collages in this series. This shift was, in a sense, necessary for my work at the time. I'm still unsure about whether I'll go beyond the canvas in the future, whether it will transition from two to three dimensions, and whether or not tools will be able to enter the canvas."

Social themes are now given more significance in Vakili's artworks.

"These kinds of concerns may not have been as significant to me in the early phases of my abstract paintings as they are now. However, suffering and healing have now become inextricably linked in my works, reflecting both my personal life experience and the culture I live in."

According to her, there are numerous obstacles for female painters in Iran and the Middle East. However, they have also discovered a unique place in contemporary art.

"Women have been able to contribute a distinct voice to the art community in spite of all the obstacles and constraints, and this voice has grown significantly in the past ten years. In fact, as more emphasis is placed on the role of female artists, society becomes more aware of the perspectives and ideals that these artists represent."

Vakili describes her professional painting experience as being thirty years long. There have been a few days when she has not painted.

"However, depending on the size and theme, I work on each piece for one to many months. It takes over a month to do even my small pieces, which are 30 by 40 cm."

She asserts that she used to produce twelve pieces annually. However, this number has dropped to just six pieces annually in recent years.

"I have produced no more than 280 paintings in the last thirty years, at most, and I am pleased that at least 200 of them have been sold to renowned collections. All of them are visible. I am very pleased that my latest exhibition at the Nian Art Gallery in Tehran sold extremely well, despite Iran's terrible economic situation."

Christie's Dubai has recorded six notable Vakili sales. Apart from the record-breaking $45,000 sale of "Dreaming New York" on April 18, 2012, one of Vakili's nameless works sold for $40,000 on October 21, 2014, and another untitled piece was purchased for $35,000 in October 2011. Furthermore, she sold her artwork "This Is Me" for $31,000 in October 2010. Meanwhile, on April 27, 2010 and April 2011, two of her unnamed paintings sold for $25,000 and $26,000, respectively.

Vakili's artworks have been featured in ten editions of the Tehran Auction so far. At the 20th edition of the art event in July, a three-panel piece from the collection "The Garden of History" sold for $130,000, setting a new record for her.

Vakili's paintings are held by prestigious institutions such as Bank Pasargad, Tourism Bank, and the Farjam Foundation of Dubai, and Mohammad Reza Ghaemmaghami's collection in addition to well-known Iranian collectors like Professor Firouz Naderi.