| “Putting together this exhibition was personal for me: it is about who I am, where I am from and what is happening in my country, my home these days. Woman, Life, Freedom has its roots in a previous iteration held last January at Joe McCauley gallery, in Normal, Illinois. Starting as gallery coordinator a year ago, the very first show I curated was about being a woman in Iran. Women who are leading the revolution these days. That exhibition was born for the very same reason the current revolution started: women’s rights. At that point, I had no idea what the future held for us. Inspired by the lack of awareness surrounding the more than four decades of state-sanctioned violence perpetuated by the Islamic Republic against the Iranian people, I hoped I could help gradually change the situation for women in my homeland through art. “On September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Iranian, Kurdish woman, Mahsa Zhina Amini, was murdered by the Iranian morality police. Amini’s death was the last straw. Across Iran, people flooded the streets chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom.”. During protests, many, including children, have been arrested, killed, tortured, and raped by the regime’s forces. Outside of Iran, the Iranian diaspora took the fight for their homeland, human rights, and freedom—they became the voice for people in Iran. “Woman, Life Freedom brings together information, conversation and visual elements surrounding this huge fight for human rights. 30+ Iranian women artists from the exhibition’s previous iteration will show their work at the MAC. In the new iteration, we incorporate objects from the revolution itself. These include elements like, cut hair, burnt scarves, graffiti and material from social media. These objects illustrate some of the messiness of the revolution, connecting the viewer’s emotions directly with the reality Iranian women experience today. We are inviting everyone to do something and get involved, to see the crimes against humanity that Iran’s ruling regime commits daily and how the problem is everyone’s issue, and it is closer than it looks. If enough people care, change is not out of reach.“I am more of a fighter than an artist these days. I want to make sure the bravery of high school girls in my country can be seen, so it is not in vain. Teenagers are at the forefront of this war, and they are paying in blood for it, but this is all they can do in my country given all the regime’s limitations and oppressions. I want to see them free and thriving, not tortured, sexually abused, and dying by the regime’s forces (Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)), just for wanting basic human rights and bodily autonomy. A girl is not even allowed to exist under Iran’s gender apartheid. They must fight tooth and nail for the simplest things. They are denied a normal life by the government. Under these oppressive circumstances, their fight is Incredibly powerful to see. With this show, we are hoping to add on to their voice.” — Shahrbanoo Hamzeh |
