Ahrarnia's large embroidered works on cotton aida are a commentary on the appropriation of orientalism in western culture in the early 20th century. Large-scale images of dancers from the 1920s and 30s, dressed “Egyptian style”, are embroidered with patterns referencing the textile designs of Sonia Delauney, contemporary to them. By selecting images of dancers and actresses in exotic attire, Ahrarnia traces the changing attitudes of acceptability, questioning notions of progress and liberalism in the Western world through time. Through his signature use of embroidery, he both metaphorically and literally weaves together the disparate strands into a narrative that is as rich as it is nuanced.

Featured here is a reproduction image of Pauline Starke (1901 – 1977). Selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1922, Starke starred in a number of films from 1916 to1935. She made her acting debut appearing as a dance extra in D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance (1916). She continued to play bit parts until director Frank Borzage started casting her in leading roles, beginning in 1917. She scored several lead roles in films, establishing her as a prominent silent-film actress during the 1920s.