SOHEILA SOKHANVARI'S REBELS
The Iranian painter celebrates the feminist icons of pre-revolutionary Iran in the exhibition "Rebel Rebel" at the Barbican Centre Art Gallery in London.
As thousands of demonstrators continue to unite for freedom and women's rights following the death in Tehran of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested by the "morality police", Soheila Sokhanvari invites us back to Iran between 1925 and the Islamic revolution of 1979. The exhibition "Rebel Rebel" at the Barbican Art Gallery presents a series of 28 portraits of feminist icons from the pre-revolutionary era. The title takes its name from David Bowie's song of the same name, released in 1974. The Iranian artist, born in Shiraz, lives and works in Cambridge, England, after her family had to emigrate when she was a child. Her multi-disciplinary work, imbued with symbolism, has since addressed the pervasive influence of Western culture in the Middle East, weaving layers of political histories, nourished by mysterious, humorous and colorful narratives. The small canvases on display are painted in tempera with egg yolk on vellum paper. A technique long reserved for icon painters. They all come to life in an immersive space, covered with geometric Persian motifs derived from traditional Oriental design.
Resisting oppression
Soheila Sokhanvari brilliantly pays tribute to the courage of these women, forced to renounce any role in public life or condemned to exile. These cultural figures lived and worked in a liberal country before everything was taken away from them after the 1979 revolution under Ayatollah Khomeini. We discover, among others, three great names of Iranian cinema: Faranak Mirghahari pointing a revolver, Kobra Saeedi smoking a cigarette, and Roohangiz Saminejad, considered the first actress to appear unveiled in a Persian-language film. Further on are the controversial modernist poetess Forough Farrokhzad and the leading intellectual and writer Simin Daneshvar. Each painting is a collision between Western fashion, 1970s interior design and the country's traditional aesthetic. What's more, a soundtrack of ancient local songs, including those of Ramesh and Googoosh, punctuates the visit. A committed choice, reminding us that it is still illegal to broadcast a woman's voice in Iran. The exhibition ends with mirrored sculptures projecting films from classic Iranian cinema. Soheila Sokhanvari's colourful, subversive portraits express their strength, combating violent heritages while exploring the contradictions of Iranian women's lives.
"Rebel Rebel" - The Curve, Barbican Art Gallery
Silk street, London
from October 7, 2022 to February 26, 2023
