Yasmin Sinai: The Act of Gordafarid, the Female Warrior

The Act of Gordafarid, the Female Warrior is Yasmin Sinai‘s third exhibition at Total Arts at Courtyard.
Yasmin Sinai’s work for this exhibition revolves around Gordafarid, the only female warrior in the Book of the Kings (Shahnameh) written by the famous Persian poet Ferdowsi.
Gordafarid represents a 21st century woman warrior, playing many roles: Namely mother, partner, and warrior, defending her father’s castle while also fighting for her rights, wishes and desires.

The artist takes cues from the mythical story of this ancient legend and presents it in a modern-day context.
In this show Sinai mixes her dramatic art of sculpture making using paper and cardboard to create immersive installations.
The exhibition consists of three theatrical scenes, each focusing on a new representation of Gordafarid; as an actress (depicted as a puppet) on her horse; an actress with masks representing the men in her life, and finally, as the leader of a group of male warriors.
These form an attempt to rediscover the ancient Persian act/performance of Pardeh Khani and Naqqali (story telling) narrating the story of artist life as a 21st century woman.