Abstract
In September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in the custody of the Morality Police in Iran after a hard-handed arrest for not wearing her headscarf properly. This instigated a strong response from the Iranian people and inspired a movement under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” This quickly evolved into a broader feminist revolution aiming to return women’s rights and strive for gender equality. Across the country, mass protests have resulted in the killing and torture of thousands of young Iranian people who have been challenging the Islamic regime’s control over their bodies and lives. Through the veil of anonymity, young artists from across the country have been able to express their emotions and respond to the chaos and violence around them by creating artwork. At high risk of getting arrested by the regime, they work from hidden, underground spaces and fuel the revolution with their anonymous art. This paper analyzes how art activists have responded to different case studies of gender-based violence in Iran. Art activism is used as a tool to investigate the cultural politics of women’s bodies in contemporary Iranian society. Using critical theories of social change, its relationship with art in the Iranian setting is examined. By investigating the politics of art activism and the relationship between aesthetics and politics, I argue how art impacts society and how social change and justice have become the mere focus of artistic activism in Iranian society.
Presenters
Fazilat SoukhakianAssociate Professor of Photography, Art & Design, Utah State University, Utah, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
ACTIVISM, IRANIAN ART, FEMINIST ART, MIDDLE EASTERN ART, POLITICAL ART
