My message is love by Mostafa Azimitabar, 2024

Transcript

This work is a self-portrait, oil on linen, and measures 91.5 centimetres high by 76 centimetres wide and is unframed. This work is a self-portrait, oil on linen, and measures 91.5 centimetres high by 76 centimetres wide and is unframed. This work is displayed on a wall between two other artworks of Moz. 

In the centre of this work, we encounter the figure of the artist, with only the head and shoulders and part of the torso on display. A zigzag pattern of line work forges its way across the torso of the figure, short lines of light green paint squash up against one another in approximately 3-centimetre lengths. These bold markings are painted with a toothbrush giving the effect of a knitted textile, or woollen sweater. 

These same jagged toothbrush markings move across the forehead of the figure in shades of pink and cream below a cleanly shaven head of short brown hair. Thick bushy brown eyebrows sit above deep brown eyes which stare, resolute, out towards the viewer. A series of thin grey brushstrokes curve beneath the eyes whilst cream lines travel across the cheekbones and bridge of the artist’s nose. Grey lines of paint move down the left-hand side of the face and travel around pink lips, giving the impression of facial hair or a beard. Beneath this, horizontal pink lines stack up alongside one another, forming the neck and beginning of the shoulders, exposed beside the clothing worn. 

The entire background of the work and the space behind the figure is rendered in these same scrawling brushstrokes, executed with the bristles of a toothbrush through paint. Starting at the bottom and working up, the lower portion of the work displays these brushstrokes in white, whilst the middle portion in a lighter blue. 

At the top of the work, surrounding the head of the artist and moving out, the brushstrokes change from a light to a vibrant bright blue. The concentration of the lines through the paint creates a swirling effect, highlighting the gestural quality of the application of the paint upon the linen below. 

The artist writes, ‘I made this self-portrait to share my story. My face looks outwards, showing the suffering I have experienced, but also my strength and determination. I always paint with toothbrushes in order to highlight the story of refugees in Australia and all the world.’ 

Kurdish refugee Mostafa ‘Moz’ Azimitabar, also known as Moz, is an artist, musician, writer, and human rights activist. He was born in Iran in 1986. After fleeing persecution, he arrived in Australia in 2013, seeking asylum. He was held in detention, first on Manus Island, then in a Melbourne hotel. Freed in 2021, he now lives in Sydney. 

The biographical information included in this description was sourced from the website of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. For more information about Moz’ work, visit artgallery.nsw.gov.au.