As a Persian American artist, Maryam Safajoo's work is a testament to resilience, memory, and justice. Her paintings narrate the stories of the Iranian Bahá’í community’s systematic persecution after the 1979 revolution—stories that are often erased, silenced, or exist only in the memories of those who lived through them. Through oil on linen, she creates miniature-scale paintings that serve as visual ethnography, preserving the experiences of those who have been denied representation.
Maryam experienced this oppression firsthand in Iran. She vividly recalls the morning when government security forces raided her home, ransacked it, and took her father to prison. She remembers her younger sister crying on her way to school. Years later, her sister was denied access to university, and when she sought answers, she was placed in solitary confinement. These experiences are not isolated. They are part of a broader, ongoing reality that has affected generations of Bahá’ís in Iran—individuals who have been executed, imprisoned, deprived of education, and had their homes and livelihoods stripped away.
Many of the incidents she depicts only exist in the memory of those who experienced them and have no pictorial existence. In many cases if visual records did exist, they have been confiscated by the Iranian authorities in raids of homes. Through conversations, interviews, and archival research, she reconstructs these histories with meticulous detail, incorporating the clothing, artifacts, and environments that were present at these events. Her paintings often depict individuals posing as figures from real stories, allowing those who have lived these experiences—or who carry their legacy—to become part of the storytelling process.
Maryam grew up surrounded by stories of resilience. As a child, she often accompanied her family to visit the homes of Bahá’ís who had lost loved ones to persecution. Her mother, who was imprisoned at 19, spent two years behind bars; nearly all her cellmates, including Mona Mahmudnizhad a 17 year old, were later executed. Maryam listened to the firsthand accounts of their unwavering spirit and sacrifice—narratives that now profoundly shape her artistic practice.
Through her work, Maryam reflects on a world free from prejudice—one where people are not judged by their belief, gender, identity, race, or social status and etc..
The Bahá’ís of Iran are not the only community facing systemic oppression, and She hopes her paintings spark broader conversations about justice, equity, and freedom of thought. Her goal is not just to document suffering but to highlight the strength, dignity, and humanity of those who endure.
Maryam paintings reside in the permanent collections of institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Nobel Prize Museum; and the Crocker Art Museum, preserving the stories of resilience and human rights. Through exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide, she strives to give voice to those silenced by oppression. Her work has been recognized with prestigious awards and fellowships such as John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and has been featured by major media outlets, including Boston Globe, the BBC, and Voice of America, amplifying narratives that might otherwise be forgotten.
