We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campus is situated, the people of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung, who have created art, made music and told their stories here for thousands of generations. We also acknowledge and extend our respect to the Traditional Owners of all lands on which our work is viewed, shared and enjoyed, and to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

VCA Art 2024

Master of Contemporary Art

My work engages with personal narratives inextricably embedded within the intricate socio-cultural and political landscape of Iran, reflecting lived experience and historical trauma. Through corporeal materials, themes of resistance, solidarity, and transformation are explored. Human hair embroideries bearing "woman, life, freedom" in Farsi, honour the movement’s core message. A ladder made from synthetic hair operates both as a symbol and provocation, connoting collective strength. Photographic portraits, rich in hues and textures, echo the diasporic identity’s complex intersections. This body of work critiques entrenched systems of oppression, invites discourse on liberation and social justice while affirming shared identity.

Sammaneh Pourshafighi

Sammaneh Pourshafighi, Installation View. Image Courtesy of University of Melbourne.

Sammaneh Pourshafighi, Image courtesy of the artist