This portrait series explores the emotional contradictions within the Iranian community in Los Angeles after recent events in Iran—mass violence, political unrest, and foreign attacks.
Some express relief and even happiness at the weakening of a regime tied to years of repression. Others carry fear, grief, and uncertainty for loved ones still inside Iran. These opposing emotions often exist at the same time.

Through intimate, cinematic portraits, I focus on the space between reactions—the pause where relief meets guilt, and hope collides with loss.

As an Iranian artist living in Los Angeles, I approach this work from within. These images reflect a shared tension: what it means to feel joy in the shadow of destruction.

This project holds that tension without simplifying it.