Farzaneh Soori Ghiasvand (Iran) ─ Henna ‘body painting’
May 18, 2024 | 11:00
Zagreb Dance Center, Ilica 10 – Lobby
*Anyone interested is free to join the body painting workshop
*Applications are not required
The art of body painting with henna is more than just makeup for women. This art has a historical origin and has had its fans from the past to the present day. The main difference between henna painting in Arabic and Indian styles lies in the motifs and elements used. In Arabic culture, this design is associated with minimalist motifs, and the empty space between the painted elements is highly emphasized. Some of the motifs used include flowers, leaves, birds, geometric shapes, while hands and eyes stand out as the main elements of henna body art in Arabic culture, as there is a symbol of a hand with an eye in its palm in Islam, which is interpreted as protection from the evil eye. One of the primary reasons for using this plant is its cooling properties, and it was widely used in desert regions where people would smear their hands and feet with henna paste. The medicinal benefits of henna are also a reason for its use, including in the treatment of stomach aches, burns, headaches, and open skin wounds. When it was discovered that the paste of this green plant temporarily leaves orange and reddish stains on the skin, the art of henna body painting was born to adorn the skin. Today, body painting with henna is mainly practiced in various celebrations such as weddings and “henna parties.”
Farzaneh Soori Ghiasvand (Iran/Croatia) has completed her BA studies in graphic design and, with the assistance of the Red Cross in Croatia, has had several gallery exhibitions of her original works.
