PHOTOS: Irving exhibition protests oppression of young women leading Iranian uprising

Arts & Culture

PHOTOS: Irving exhibition protests oppression of young women leading Iranian uprising

四虎影院 | By Elizabeth Myong | Arts Access

Published January 11, 2023 at 5:00 AM CST

A woman snaps a photo of a painting. — Moojan Hakim takes a photo of Zahra Jafarpour's "Life After/Before Death" on display at Irving Arts Center, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in Irving. The opening night of the exhibition "Woman, Life, Freedom DFW" responded to the Iranian uprising led by young women with a variety of artworks and performances.

Over 35 North Texas artists used sculptures, paintings and music to speak out against the violence.

On Saturday night, the halls of the Irving Arts Center echoed with singing and setar playing, spoken word poetry and discussions about the paintings, sculptures and installation artworks at the opening of the Woman, Life, Freedom DFW exhibition.

Over 35 North Texas artists, many of them Iranian women, displayed and shared their work in protest of the oppression of young women, men and children during the .

The uprising began in September, after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed by the 鈥渕orality police,鈥� who claimed she violated strict dress codes. Since then, Iranian women have been leading mass protests against the country鈥檚 regime.

As mass demonstrations have spread throughout the country, 鈥淲oman, Life, Freedom鈥� has become a rallying call in the face of brutal killings and crackdowns by Iranian authorities.

Over 18,000 people have been detained and over 400 protesters have been killed, by Human Rights Activists in Iran.

North Texan Niloo Jalilvand, one of the exhibition鈥檚 organizers, said the violence and oppression of women during the uprising feel deeply personal. Born in Tehran, she still has family and friends in Iran.

The exhibition鈥檚 mission, Jalilvand said, is to promote awareness and show solidarity with 鈥渢he women of Iran and all people fighting for civil rights in the face of authoritarian, theocratic regimes that fuel violence, particularly against women.鈥�

Among other performances, the exhibition鈥檚 opening night featured a hair braiding ceremony, modern storytelling and a performance by Iranian singer and setar player Fared Shafinury, a Texas native.

Although the Iranian uprising is happening halfway across the world, Jalilvand said the exhibition鈥檚 message is still relevant in Texas.

鈥淚t takes little small steps to take away someone鈥檚 rights and voice,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou know the way that women are being treated right now, it didn鈥檛 just happen overnight. It was a slow progression that before you know it, you realize that you鈥檙e actually quite trapped and to a point where the violence is beyond imagination.鈥�

PHOTOS

A woman dances. — Shahrzad Hamzeh dances on opening night of the Woman, Life, Freedom exhibition in 鈥淥ne Woman鈥檚 Improvisation,鈥� which the program describes as 鈥渁n expression in response to atrocities happening to the courageous warrior women of Iran.鈥�

A green and gold sculpture. — Ramak Baghaie鈥檚鈥淲oman Life Freedom鈥� is a glazed clay sculpture. Baghaie said it shows two faces of a young woman, representing the sadness of the ongoing revolution and the hope for a peaceful future.

A woman wears a red and black head piece. — Artist Maryam Takalou wears her piece 鈥淏eyond the Nets," a head cover made in the likeness of Iranian pigeon towers, which Takalou uses to symbolize the female body. The piece is made from pigeon wire and fabric from a kind of prayer garment worn by Iranian women. The fabric was sent to Takalou by her family in Tehran.

Two women look at headdresses. — Neda Dehghani and Gita Ferdosian look at 鈥淏eyond the Nets鈥� by Maryam Takalou at Irving Arts Center.

A woman sits on a chair wrapped in flowers and pipe covers. Another woman puts a hat on the woman sitting down. — Artists Parisa Haghighi and Nazanin Ahmadi perform 鈥淏eauty Can Not Be Conquered鈥� on opening night of the Woman, Life, Freedom DFW exhibition. The performance is meant to reflect the tragedy of living in oppression without basic human rights.

A Dell monitor with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei painted on it. — Zahra Jafarpour鈥檚鈥淎utopsy of Monitors鈥� shows Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei painted on a Dell monitor. Khamenei has been at the center of protesters鈥� frustrations, with many chanting the popular slogan 鈥淒eath to the dictator."

Three paintings made with ink, charcoal powder and acrylic paint. — Marjaneh Goudarzi uses charcoal powder, ink and acrylic paint in 鈥淧ersimmons,鈥� a collection of three paintings inspired by her daughter Shayan Javadi鈥檚 music video 鈥淧ersimmon Tree,鈥� which was played at opening night. Goudarzi said her paintings depict her daughter鈥檚 journey to embrace her identity as a member of the Iranian diaspora and as a transgender woman.

A blue shiny sculpture stands on three legs. — Mari Hidalgo King鈥檚鈥淵.O.M.P,鈥� a shiny blue sculpture, is meant to capture 鈥渢he intrinsic power, resiliency and importance of a woman." Y.O.M.P. stands for 鈥測our own marching pace.鈥�

Details: The Woman, Life, Freedom Exhibition runs until Jan. 21 at the Irving Arts Center, 3333 North MacArthur Blvd. Irving, Texas 75062. Free admission. Gallery hours are 12-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday.

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