Maryam Ashkanian’s stirring “Sleep” series offers embroidered figures on pillows, with threads creating a sculptural landscape on each canvas. The works carry both an intimacy and are part of a broader practice that implements textiles and painting into unexpected forms. The fiber artist is currently based in Iran, where she operates her studio.
On how her background plays into her work: “I was born and live in north of Iran and Caspian Sea area,” the artist says. “I entered the Fine Arts University in Rasht in 2007, Iran. It was the best decision of my life. I studied painting in university and I could win an art prize in 2010 also I create my art work with sewing on fabric with abstract content, every traditional handmade attract me and inspired me to create my own idea of art but not in decorative form. In addition I try to research about human through my creation (such as body, mind, portraits … ).”
See more of her work below.
Working with fabric dye on cotton, Iranian artist 
Traditional quilting meets a unconventional use of textile art in 