About Masood

Masood is an emerging visual artist whose work blends personal history with imaginative storytelling. Growing up in Afghanistan and now based in Los Angeles, he draws on the textures, colors, and memories of both worlds to create paintings and drawings that explore themes of identity, migration, and belonging.

Through the use of symbolic objects and layered imagery, Haidary shares the stories of those whose voices have been silenced, becoming a visual representative for their experiences and resilience. His work bridges cultural memory with universal emotion, inviting viewers into narratives that are often left unheard.

Currently an undergraduate majoring in Art at UCLA, Haidary is in a dynamic stage of experimentation, exploring diverse mediums and techniques to expand his creative vocabulary. In 2024, his work was featured at the Crocker Art Museum, marking an early milestone in a growing artistic journey.

A young man with curly hair and glasses, wearing an apron, sitting on a stool in an art gallery. Behind him are colorful paintings, and to his right, a large black canvas with a detailed painting of a bearded man with flowers and birds integrated into the artwork. The gallery has artwork on the walls, shelves with sculptures, and art supplies on a table.
A pencil drawing of a man's face with glasses, a beard, and a mustache, combined with a hummingbird, butterfly, and additional feathers and bird details.

Where I end, Nature begins

This piece carries a part of my story. Growing up in Afghanistan, I often turned to nature as a place of peace and refuge. In this drawing, my portrait merges with wings, a hummingbird, and a butterfly symbols of transformation, freedom, and fragile beauty. Together, they speak of how the human spirit and the natural world are inseparable, each beginning where the other ends.

Where I End, Nature Begins is both a self-reflection and an invitation: to see struggle as a path to growth, and to find hope and lightness even in difficult times.

A detailed pencil drawing of a hooded figure with a mask, a butterfly on the hood, and a red rose held in front of the figure. The drawing is signed 'Masood 2024'.

Veil of Silence

This work carries the weight of silence and the strength of survival. The barred veil suggests confinement, yet signs of life break through fragile, fleeting, and quietly powerful. Softness appears where it should not, and color rises where none is expected.

Veil of Silence is a reflection on hidden voices, suppressed yet never erased. It invites those who linger to see beyond the surface, to recognize resilience in places it was never meant to exist.

Abstract painting of a person with multicolored brushstrokes forming facial features, wearing a jacket, signed Masoud at the bottom right.

Story of my life

Life doesn’t shape us in straight lines — it breaks us apart, throws color into our wounds, and forces us to rebuild from pieces. In this work, the face is there but not complete, because no story is ever simple or whole. It’s made of layers of pain, joy, loss, and hope  all sitting together, messy and alive.

Story of My Life is about carrying everything I’ve lived through and still finding light in it. It’s about how even in the chaos, there’s beauty  not because life is perfect, but because it is real.