Time is stamped on our memories,
which memories become time itself.
It’s with this in mind that I’ve produced these collages based on Iranian stamps produced during the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. As such, they represent a lost idyll, a childhood of dreams that I still carry with me wherever I go.
Thinking back to those days of national pride, social cohesion and creative surge nurtured through stability and economic growth, I often wonder how to recapture fleeting moments of yore. Relive the period at a glance, rejoice in happy recollections.
Thinking back to happier days, hoping for better times to come. When we can all gather under the Persian Sun and hear the Lion roar again. Seeing women free to compete in sports, Queens rejoice in good works, men struggle to believe in their futures.
Perhaps this collection of stamped memories will help relive those fancies. Revive the fantasy of care, cohesion and comfort only the homeland can foster. I hope you too will smile looking at these colourful works.
Maryam Eisler
London, February 2021
