Working as an Iranian fashion model in 2022 feels ambivalent; attempting to navigate my day to day creatively, in a time of constant mourning. The collective grief for Mahsa (Jina) Amini has seen ripples through all aspects of life for the Iranian people, creating a domino effect of social protest and uprising. Some would consider these events to stifle creativity; to be a hindrance of expression. However, the events of back home have invoked a sense of unity amongst artists of Iran, and platforming their voices in these times feels essential.
Being Iranian is intrinsically tied to the creative work I am part of. The Iranian features that make up my face dictate the work I get and thus the creative spaces I occupy; whether it be unconventional body-hair or non-eurocentric facial-features that are placed in front of the camera. As a fashion model, it is easy to think that Iranian representation is reached through merely existing in front of a camera lens. Yet, the means for representation goes beyond the lens and to the creatives behind the camera, to those who can invoke the Iranian identity in every creative space possible. And as a result, the desire for Iranians to use their voice as a source of creativity feels vital – especially in these trifling times of civil unrest.
Thus, I find myself discovering Iranian artists that inspire me the most at the moment – to hopefully locate a sense of hope and creative freedom for the Iranian people.
Image Courtesy of Amir Tahgi.
Milad Ahmadi, Artist:
From watercolours to coloured pencils, Milad Ahmadi is an artist whose work transcends the constrictions of merely one form or medium. With their print art being used for Persian fashion brands such as Amir Taghi, Ahmadi is familiar with collaborating and navigating creativity with other Iranian artists to invoke aspects of Iranian identity.
“I used to believe I was really interested in politics. I later realised it is politics that is interested in me. Being Iranian means everything about you is political.” Poignantly yet accurately stated, merely existing feels political when you are an Iranian in this day and age. It makes the work Ahmadi produces inherently powerful. “Art has always been a major tool for change. It allows people to imagine what can be. It can be healing, it can be inspiring, it can be controversial. Creativity is much more powerful than it’s given credit for.”
“I’ve seen fashion designers reflect the movement in their clothing. I’ve seen fine artists paint about it. I’ve heard musicians sing about it. My wish is for the international community to feel and be more involved so these art pieces are not consumed in a vacuum. I wish for this movement to gain more mainstream traction.”
Image Courtesy of Sayna Fardaraghi.
Sayna Fardaraghi, Film Director
Sayna Fardaraghi is a film director who has an impressive clientele of the likes of Charles Jeffery and Charlotte Tilbury, at her young age of 23. Her most memorable work is her award-winning short film Waiting (2020), which notably won the Intel/Movidiam award for Best Director and best experimental student film at TIFF (Tatsuno).
“It’s not necessarily being Persian and the distinct Iranian styles, but rather the experience I’ve had growing up as an Iranian in predominantly white spaces. As a child you crave that sense of belonging, that sense of community and home to feel like you can truly be yourself. For me, I did not have that. Growing up in predominantly white spaces I learnt to hide my identity in order to be accepted, and that has subconsciously embedded itself into the themes of my work; creating that sense of belonging through a simple theme that connects audiences together.”
Art’s ability to locate a sense of community is one of its greatest powers. This unspoken sense of community that Iranians have, especially in these times, feels especially encaptured through Faradarghi and her experiences. She continues, “I remember my first time being on set with other Iranians whose work I adore was such a healing experience – to be amongst people who are just like you and who grew up in the same way as you.”
Image Courtesy of Soheila Sokhanvari.
Soheila Sokhanvari, Artist:
Soheila Sokhanvari is an artist whose work speaks to a time of the past, pre-revolution. Her dynamic colourful compositions speak to this time of artistic richness and creative freedom that is inherent to Iran and its past. “My works related to Persian Miniatures aesthetically and conceptually are based on my Iranian heritage,” she explains, “I make art that speaks about pre-revolutionary Iran.”
Sokhanvari’s Rebel Rebel exhibition at the Barbican ‘Curve Gallery’ brings to life those forgotten women of Iranian cinema. Cultural figures, such as Kobra Saeedi and Zinat Moadab, are given a body and are thus coloured to life in an attempt to redeem their unjust ends.
She continues, “Since the events I feel my work has been seen in its correct context of politically charged feminist art rather than aesthetically pleasing works.” Her pieces are more than visually beautiful; recent events have forced the viewer to observe her pieces of work on a deeper level.
It feels vital for observers to understand the nuance and deeper context of her work, as this is how art can be used to inspire change. She ends by stating, “More galleries and museums should allow for a designated space for more stories from artists-activists that need a platform for their protest.” In this new context that Sokhanvari’s work exists in, change and space should be made in the art world to help platform powerful messages such as her’s.
Image Courtesy of Hushidar Mortezaie.
Hushidar Mortezaie, Fashion Designer & Interdisciplinary Artist:
Hushidar Mortezaie is a fashion designer and interdisciplinary artist who utilises motifs and the cultural distinctions of Iranian culture to create powerful pieces of art. Mortezaie’s artistic imagery, seen on clothing and prints, has been used as a source of pictorial inspiration for social protest amongst Iranians.
“I began creating a new hybrid language of East and West for Iranian youth since 1999 through fashion and art. My goal was to change perceptions and myopic narratives of the media by sharing the complex beauty of Iranian culture. Whether it is tied to a candy wrapper being sold by a beggar; reverting the gaze from the exotic woman in a veil onto the Pahlavan swarthy male; the antiquity of our poets; our architecture and graphic design masters; the distinct high glamour of 70s Googoosh; the notions of kitsch and camp found in everyday life in Iran; the striving for freedom and equality of Iranian woman and the lgbtqia+ in Iran.” In doing this, Mortezaie locates a sense of beauty in all aspects of being Iranian, illustrating the richness and variation in the stylistic aesthetics that make up Iran.
Mortezaie continues, “I think that the creative voices from Iran – which must include voices from Kurdistan, Balochistan, Sistan, and all the resplendent rainbow that makes up Iran – should be shared much more. Art holds power and Iran is home to some of the most talented people: stylists , photographers, creative directors, style icons, graphic designers and artists.”
To be Iranian is to encompass the cosmopolitan that is our country’s array of cultures, languages and range of voices. Therefore, the creative voices of Iran deserve to be platformed for all representations of the Iranian people to be seen, to incite change for the better. Hushi Mortezaie, as well as all the other artists previously mentioned, are unapologetic and prideful of their Iranian identity. Their varied walks of life and differing forms of artistic expression embody the multifaceted yet unified nature that is inherent to being Iranian. Thus, these creative individuals navigate their forms of expression in a time where it feels complicated and nuanced, yet uniting and empowering to merely exist as an Iranian.
“The children of the Iranian Renaissance will be victorious. And they are being led by Women. I see women leading Iran alongside their allies without hijab or with,” says Mortezaie. “Women are leading us into a future of caring and not hate. It is the era of the feminine. Woman Life Freedom as a way of life not just as a slogan.”