“In your light, I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.” Rumi

Traditionally, men lead the dance. In this animated oil painting, inspired by Rumi, the woman leads the way. As her flower evolves from green to white and then to red, his flower follows her lead in a dance of change.

This is both a love story and a social statement. Green, white, and red denote the colours of the Iranian flag. If all dance is movement, then here it symbolizes the movement happening in Iran.

As the man embraces the woman, he’s also embracing the change that is essential for her freedom. She is in the dance of her life, and he is supporting her, protecting her, with his heart and soul. They share a common landscape. They are on common ground. As they waltz together he is creating a safe space for her, an environment where she can shine.