Samira Abbassy, b. 1965Bird Garden with Intestinal Self PortraitIran (2003)Acrylic, ink, gouache &am

Samira Abbassy, b. 1965
Bird Garden with Intestinal Self Portrait
Iran (2003)
Acrylic, ink, gouache & collage on indian petal paper
Government art collection, London
[Source]

Samira Abbassy’s collage shows a female figure, her hair raised and her internal organs revealed in X-ray fashion. Her expression conveys what Abbassy describes as a state of rapture, as if in a meditative trance. Nearby are trees inhabited by colourful birds, with some of their patterns derived from Indian textile blocks. Inspired by ‘The Conference of Birds’, a 12th-century verse by the Persian poet Farid Al-Din Attar, Abbassy’s work depicts the physical and spiritual elements of human existence.