Iran Protests: Artists Worldwide Rally In Support, Create Digital Art

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old women’s custodial death after the morality police took her over charges of not wearing her headscarf properly, has sparked nationwide protests.

More than 130 people have been killed as the protests were suppressed by the authorities, according to Oslo-based non-profit, Iran Human Rights. Despite the bloody clamp-down of protests and the internet shutdown, artists and activists from across the world have emerged–giving voice to the Iranian protesters.

The virality of protest art in the digital age has enabled artists to share their work and arouse emotions of defiance against the Iranian authorities. Many of them believe that art is a powerful medium of expression in times of crisis.

Historically speaking, protest art was always in physical forms, used in galleries and protest sites as paintings, slogans, banners, and sculptures, but given the advancement in technology and the advent of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, have given rise to digitally-rendered art which can be shared multiple times in sizeable formats which increases the impact of the given artwork.

Art Transcends Boundaries

Thousands of videos of women cutting their hair and burning their headscarves in rebellion have spread across the internet–and with them have emerged artists using their skills to spread the sentiments of millions of women who feel captured by draconian laws that govern their bodies.

(Image courtesy: innerjalz/Instagram)

The Instagram artists, Jalz, created works during civil movements because of the ripple-effect it has on the reproduction of the art. “There is more republishing in the virtual spaces and it causes the movement to last.”

Jalz added that every person has a right to choose their clothing and to emphasise this freedom of choice, they created a collage using Henry Matisse’s “La danse”, produced in 1910. “The painting symbolises the feeling of liberation and is the epitome of freedom.” The painting was then collaged with a photograph of Tehran’s Azadi Square (Freedom Square) which was the site of the Iranian revolution in 1979. The bold calligraphy written in Farsi is a Kurdish phrase, “Jin-Jiyan-Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom), a cry for justice heard in many of the protests.

Moreover, the nudity depicted in the painting is in contrast with the current scenario where women are forced to cover up. “Nakedness in a painting is not common in Iranian works, so I tried to make this change by including this revelatory work,” said Jalz.

(Image courtesy: Adeena Hasan/Instagram)

Adeena Hasan, a Bangladeshi visual artist, said that art holds a special place in protest culture as it has the ability to seamlessly transcend language barriers and cultural differences. “Bright colours roar for attention, while duller tones can highlight the severity of suffering by igniting compassion among the masses. Art is the protest of a thousand words without one even needing to be uttered,” she said.

Hasan was deeply hurt by the murder of Amini. “I had always been aware of the rigidity surrounding the freedom of Iranian women, but I had never heard of a case where a girl had been beaten to death because her hairline showed a little too much for someone's liking. I could not fathom how suffocated and unheard she must have felt in her final hours.”

Since Hasan considers art to be her greatest tool which she has used before to protest any wrongdoing–be it the return of Taliban’s shadow over Afghan women or the killing of children in Ukraine–she has always turned to art in revolt. “After I heard the news of Mahsa Amini’s death, I got to work once again. I wanted her spirit to live on. She would not die unheard.”

Her artwork Amini with her hair proudly flowing behind her. The flowing hair is a deliberate protest against Iran's law of forcing women to cover their hair. "I also put vibrant hues on her black burqa on purpose. The chains have been purposefully put behind her to denote that Iran's morality police could not kill her memory,” said Hasan, a college student. She added that the red engulfing her is dark, but eventually mingles with golden rays at the top of the painting. “It's an ode to the Iranian women who are protesting for their rights in hope of brighter days. The jasmine flower which symbolises modesty, has been placed in her hair on purpose to show that she did not enrage anybody’s modesty by letting her hair loose, contrary to what Iran's morality police would claim.”

She believes art leaves a positive impact on society, either in the form of consoling the oppressed or by inspiring change.

The artist who goes by the moniker, smishdesigns on Instagram, said that art helped her channelise her inner angst in a singular image. “What happened in Iran is heartbreaking. Women are being murdered for exercising their free will. In such a scenario, art acts as a catalyst in challenging oppressive regimes and powerful structures by mocking those in power. This power unequivocally belongs with the people,” she said.

(Image Courtesy: smishdesigns/Instagram)

Her artwork was inspired by the collective act of Iranian women cutting their hair as a mark of dissent. “Cutting off hair or shaving your head goes against the decades worth of conditioning thrust upon women to maintain a certain beauty standard. I chose to capture that in my artwork hoping that women all across the world would relate to this powerful act of defiance against a heavily oppressive and patriarchal government,” she added.

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The Virality of Visual Art

(Image Courtesy: Sarah Jarrett/Instagram)

“It is of prime importance to get a message across quickly, especially when we see images over the internet all the time. If you are able to create an image that instantly stands out, it becomes a powerful weapon in the face of atrocity,” said Sarah Jarrett, an artist based in the United Kingdom.

Jarrett was outraged by the death of Amini and wanted to support the courageous women in Iran who had taken to the streets. “I was angry and sad. I wanted to spread the message about what was happening and stand up for the rights of women,” she said.

To highlight the right of women to choose whether they want to wear a hijab or not, Jarrett’s artwork uses different elements to represent the solidarity among women standing up for their rights. “The tears of blood flowing on her cheek symbolise her death and the terrible sadness of a young life cut short, while the yellow rose stands for universal friendship and sisterhood between women, united in their quest for freedom and peace.” She added that the black butterflies are symbols of renewal and transformation, hoping for a better future for women’s rights.

Jarrett’s visual art has garnered a massive reach. “I was inundated with messages supporting my work and people asking me to keep the dialogue going,” she said. Her image has become a sticker on city streets, been used on protest posters, and is going to be used in a women's rights concert in Sweden."It’s amazing that it snowballed really quickly. I’m proud to play a small part in this movement,” she added.

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Inspiration Behind Protest Art

(Image Courtesy: Marc Eisenman/Instagram)

Marc Eisenman, a graphic designer and illustrator from the United States narrates the childhood inspiration behind his digital art. “I was a teenager in the mid 1960s and was heavily influenced by the counterculture movement and its artistic inspirations in music, films, books, poetry, theatre and other artistic forms, especially the use of posters to convey messages. Posters have the unique ability to project a message in a moment, while still being able to hold a viewer's attention for a longer period of time,” he said.

As an observer too, when saw Picasso’s Guernica in 1967 as a 17-year-old, he was stunned. “I entered the room that housed the painting. I couldn’t move at first as I tried to take it all in. Guernica taught me more than any article, video, or photograph ever could about the power of art. It hit me right between my eyes and touched my soul. I try to remember that feeling when I produce my art. We are all moved by what we experience—to be able to share those feelings with others as an artist is an incredible, and sometimes maddening experience.”

All these experiences motivated him to visually support women in Iran. He was in awe of their bravery and fearlessness. Three other events in his life also crystallised his need to express his support, the birth of his granddaughter a few years ago–he does not want her to ever bow down to any man, the United States’ Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, and the artists he follows from Iran on Instagram. “Women’s rights in Iran, America and everywhere are human rights. If women aren’t free to choose then how can men truly be free to express themselves?,” he said.

He said that whatever a woman wants to do, wants to achieve, wants to believe, wants to wear in regard to her body, is her choice. “Whether a woman wants to wear a hijab or not is her business. However, the religious, institutional, and governmental subjection and denigration of women needs to stop. Women are not only mothers, daughters, sisters, but humans who deserve all the respect and dignity, and should be honoured.”

Moreover, Eisenman’s art symbolises his view of the world. “I hope it resonates with the viewer and perhaps opens one's eyes and heart. But it’s tricky. I hate to be preached to and I prefer not to preach. But I do hope it contributes to any internal conversations in a positive way.”

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