Artwork juxtaposing Persian culture with women's rights is featured in the latest "Art on the Move" exhibit, titled The Legend of My Mothers.

"Most of my paintings have a dark background -- though I appear to be a very happy person, in reality, I am not very optimistic," artist Azi Amiri said. "I am very sensitive to what is going on in the world and that is not very shiny and bright."

Based in the North Halls Cultural Lounge, the exhibit runs through Dec. 9 as part of the HUB-Robeson Galleries' "Art on the Move" program.

The Legend of My Mothers is Amiri's third "Art on the Move" exhibit and features three Iran-inspired paintings titled "Carpet Weaver," "Alive Veil" and "Uncertainty."

Amiri graduated in 2005 with a degree in painting from Shahed University in Tehran, Iran. She grew up in Iran during the revolution and the eight-year Iran-Iraq War. She painted "Alive Veil" and "Carpet Weaver" when she first arrived in the United States in May 2008. "Alive Veil" depicts an Iranian woman wearing a hijab to cover her hair. In the painting Amiri wanted to show a female figure in a dark space with a bright veil to bring life to the rest of the piece.

"I wanted to show that underneath the hijab, women are very active and have their own identities in society," Amiri said.

Bright colors and nostalgia took Amiri's art in a new direction, inspiring "Carpet Weaver."

"In Iran, most women weave the carpets, so I painted a female into a traditional Iranian dress weaving bright floral patterns into a carpet," Amiri said.

For a while, pregnancy was the main focus of Amiri's paintings. "Uncertainty" sheds light on a woman's indecision as to whether bringing a child into this world is a good idea. Alice Clark, Class of 1984, met Amiri in the Wonders of the World Book Club, which connects people from different countries. Having seen all of Amiri's work, Clark said she describes it as Persian Fauvism or Impressionism because of some influence by Matisse and Cézanne.

"I hope she continues to go through life with a paintbrush in hand," Clark said.

Jennifer Lynch, communications assistant for HUB-Robeson Galleries, helped to set up the three paintings in Amiri's exhibit. Lynch said Amiri has a wide range in her technique.

"I think her goal as an artist is to give women a sense of their value and rights in society, as well as show them what they can do," Lynch said.