he origin of these works are my childhood memories of old Iranian textiles. Often frayed and threadbare until a ghostly silhouette of the floral motif remains. I became interested in how paint, as a material, wears away with time, after having seen the Villa Livia frescos in Rome. The black background in these paintings were inspired by an evening in Mexico watching fireworks above the ocean- explosions of color in an inky sky.

Maryam Amiryani was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1967. She emigrated with her family to Paris, France in 1978. Maryam currently lives in Marfa, Texas.

This is her third exhibition at George Billis Gallery.