Queen Elizabeth II on 19th century Persian Post Stamp Ed. 21 of 40

Beyond their traditional function, postage stamps carry political and cultural messages embedded in their visual design and imagery. I am fascinated by the political messages and imagery of stamps.
As an Australian and an Iranian/Persian, I am always looking for ways to merge and synthesise these two identities.

I picked a vintage Persian stamp from the 19th century, scanned and vectorised it, replaced the portrait of the king of Persia/Iran (Nāṣer al-Dīn Shāh) with Queen Elizabeth II, and also changed the colour pallet to give it a pop-art feeling.

This artwork is part of my Poste Persanes digital art project that explores Iran's history and politics through the art of stamps in the Qajar dynasty era, and combines it with Australian/British visual elements.

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Max is an Australian-Iranian engineer/artist who lives in Melbourne. By day, he is a systems designer, leveraging his degrees in industrial engineering and IT. By night, he transforms into a passionate artist, with a focus on visual and digital arts.
Drawing inspiration from his Australian-Iranian heritage, he creates pieces that explore the themes of identity, belonging, and displacement. His work often reflects the fusion of his two cultures, making him a true embodiment of the Melbourne art scene, where creativity, diversity, and innovation thrive.
Max has always had a deep appreciation for the arts and began pursuing his passion by studying painting at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) at Melbourne University.