The best way to introduce you to Kathy Lajvardi is to include a video in her own words describing the inspiration for her “Unbreakable Queens” Series of works (immediately above).

Kathy is immensely driven. A career spanning blue chip Corporate graphics design, film production stills/animation links, book publishing, musical artists photography and senior art direction. My blog article focuses specifically upon her own handmade painted artworks and high quality prints.

Music is a powerfully evocative platform to communicate emotions and ideas. Like Pop Art master Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kathy Lajvardi involves music in her artmaking process. Her video explains her great love of music and culture being direct artistic influences.

We live in a tough world commercially. Women worked in a male-dominated world in the late 19th Century, even in historically colonial empires. A quick look at the Suffragettes Movement in the United Kingdom in the early 1900’s highlights that women have not always had a fair deal with working opportunities and the generalised rights afforded to men.

With oppression occurring particularly against women in various places people naturally gravitate to highly successful artists such as Beyonce and Madonna. Go-getters, trailblazers, international superstars in a predominant man’s world.

Of course, Westernised norms do not necessarily mean successful societies. Poverty, crime and inequality blights numerous nations regardless of religion, status or working opportunities. There is a swathe of populist movements/trends sweeping the globe primarily through emotional sentiments fuelled via technological communication. It is clearly wise to keep the laws of a land to avoid certain difficulties.

So what can people do with injustice?

Kathy Lajvardi has art as an outlet.

Building upon a rising backdrop of female empowerment Kathy uses symbolism within her work in multi-layered and carefully considered ways to get her message across.

Ancient Persia extolled the literal height of artistic representation along with ancient Egyptian and other Mesopotamian cultures. Therefore it is only meet that Kathy would draw upon her Iranian roots as an artist growing up in California.

You have planned your work, thrown your heart into the project. We should rightfully be proud with personal achievements.

Art is often surprisingly hard work. Social media allows artists to become known, personally. Their dreams, aspirations, how they feel as individual persons. Insights into their lives.

I see multi-facets to Kathy’s personality through her artwork and social media. A woman whom confidently negotiates the commercial world through academic learning, experience, networking and malleability.

“Malleability – the ability to be easily changed into a new shape.” – Cambridge Dictionary.

Let me present to you dear Readers one of my spontaneous word associations with regards to the art I see in the “Unbreakable Queens Series” by Kathy Lajvardi:

Tackling challenges head-on, living up to expectations, responsibilities, despair followed by hope, affinity to a higher power, pensive humbleness, patience – all with stylised iconography.

Kathy incorporates Iranian history and heritage in “Unstoppable, Rise” and “Unstoppable, Break“.

The crowns in her Pop Art works represent past Iranian monarchy. The lion head is seated upon a woman’s body. Iran’s national flag colors are visible to bring a sense of hope. Kathy’s artworks are very intricate, vibrant with sophistication.

I thought I would post a photograph from Wikipedia of Googoosh from an earlier concert, here:

Googoosh is an inspiration to Iranians. A beautiful lady with a strong voice, critically acclaimed in music and films for decades. Here is a list of some of her secular achievements:

1971: first prize and gold record at the Midem trade fair in Cannes (as “Gougoush”) performing two songs in French.

1973: The best actress for Bita in Iranian Sepas film festival

2014: Best Iranian Female Singer (World Music Awards)

2017: Best Music Video For Do Panjereh (Directed by Yasmin Asha) Festigious Film Awards March 2017

2022: Performed at the Expo Festival

[Quotations from Wikipedia).

For a female Iranian performer this shows the ability for people to celebrate the value of their national pride and unique culture.

It is no wonder why Kathy Lajvardi is inspired by an Iranian artist whose fame has transcended many decades. I wanted to get the sense of Kathy’s reasons for producing her recent artwork series. Googoosh is one of those reasons. It might surprise some in Western culture to believe Iranian culture has a rich heritage in films and music.

Whilst Kathy Lajvardi lives in Orange County, LA, (her family emigrating due to the late 1970’s political and military Iranian Revolution) she has a heartfelt yearning with her Iranian hometown and peoples.

What is greater.. the freedom for girls and women to engage in secular education or the bullet and the bomb?

It was the bullet and the bomb that brought about the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970’s.