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Anvár
Majnun searches for his beloved 2023, oil on canvas, 152x122cm

Commissioned for the development of Anvár in collaboration with Second Generation Collective

Anvâr at Yagan Square, WA 2023. Immersive film-poem led by Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson in collaboration with Second Generation Collective. Photo by Aaron Claringbold.



Anvár is an immersive film-poem exploring The Seven Valleys, a mystical work by Bahá’u’llá, the founder of the Bahá‘i Faith. Written in Persian, The Seven Valleys follows the structure of  Attar of Nishapur’s Conference of the Birds, an influential poem following the journey of birds to find the legendary Simorgh across seven valleys. Bahá’u’lláh‘s work follows  the journey of the soul through these seven valleys or seven stages. Anvár explores the first of these valleys, The Valley of Search, navigating the nuance of patience, longing, and intense search. 

My painting Majnun searches for his beloved  depicts Majnun, a  figure in Persian and Arabic poetry who is deeply in love with Layli, his beloved, to the point of insanity hence his name which literally means ‘mad’ or ‘possessed’. Majnun is mentioned symbolically in The Seven Valleys sifting dust searching for Layli which thus inspired the image for my painting:

طلب را باید از مجنون عشق اندازه گرفت. حکایت کنند که روزی مجنون را دیدند خاک میبیخت و اشک میریخت. گفتند چه میکنی گفت لیلی را میجویم. گفتند وای بر تو لیلی از روح پاک و تو از خاک طلب میکنی. گفت همه جا در طلبش میکوشم شاید در جائی بجویم.

One must judge of search by the standard of the Majnún of love. It is related that one day they came upon Majnún sifting the dust, his tears flowing down. They asked, “What doest thou?” He said, “I seek for Laylí.” “Alas for thee!” they cried, “Laylí is of pure spirit, yet thou seekest her in the dust!” He said, “I seek her everywhere; haply somewhere I shall find her.”

By Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys /هفت وادی