“In Our Hands" by Donya Shoja— from the Painful Rebirth exhibition

Artist: Donya Shojaeddini

Material: Ostrich Egg, Hydrostone, Acrylic Paint 

Artist Statement :

"In Our Hands"

The fragile act of protecting what is most precious in our lives lies at the heart of this image. The hands surrounding the golden form are not only gestures of care, but of urgency—an attempt to hold together what is constantly at risk of being lost. They reflect our shared effort to remain together despite hardship—carrying responsibility, fear, tenderness, and the quiet burden of safeguarding something that cannot defend itself.

The golden form holds what we value most: humanity, resilience, victory, freedom, friendship, and the essence of our shared human values. To protect them, we need one another.

In places like Iran, where daily life is shaped by uncertainty, grief, and resilience, these values are lived, tested, and often endangered. What is held here is not only precious, but precarious.

What remains is our shared responsibility—to hold, to protect, and to care. Because what defines us can be easily fractured, and its survival depends on our willingness not to let go.