Ministry of Nomads

• Tehran Prostitutes
• New Works

Daring and unapologetically provocative, Shirin Fakhim's sculptures Tehran Prostitutes (2008) provide an uncanny representation of violated human bodies. Pieced together from a variety of ready-made, found materials, these obscene creatures smack of a post-coital state, the aftermath of a crime – or both. Their gaudy outfits are capped with traditional female and domestic attributes. There are traces of stitching on their undergarments, heads are replaced with cooking utensils, and in one instance crowned with a tiara. Fakhim's cheeky play on texture makes Tehran Prostitutes a powerful physical presence, and this vulgar spectacle of dismembered women a chilling reminder of the uncompromising cruelty of the sex industry.