Suivez, دنبال کنید, Follow, 2023
This performance is a reaction to the Iranian revolution sparked by the brutal death of Mahsa Amini, related to police violence over the wearing of the headscarf. We used hashtags to share our slogans and express our desire to end the regime of the mullahs. During the performance, I write our slogans on my unveiled body, while a projection with red light displays hashtags related to the revolution, women’s freedom, and life. I invite the audience to learn about present-day Iran and the challenges faced by its citizens under a totalitarian and religious regime.
#notoexecutioniniran #نه_به_اعدام #MahsaAmini #womenrights #feminism #feministe #femmevieliberte #womanlifefreedom #زن_زندگى_آزادى #iranprotests2022 #sanandaj #humanrights #DroitsHumains #freetoomajsalehi #laïcité #notorepublicislamiciniran #iranrevolution2023
Iran resist, 2023
Performance 25 minutes, Festival Traverse Video, Artistic direction: Simone Dompeyre, Toulouse, France
“Iran Resists” is a performance that pays tribute to the individuals killed, executed, imprisoned, and disabled during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” revolution. “Iran Resists” is a performance that addresses the crimes committed by the Iranian regime against its people. It serves as a means of information, denunciation, and a call to action in the face of a criminal power in Iran. During the performance, I sat on a floor, lit candles, and recited the names of victims who were arrested, imprisoned, executed, or killed in the streets by the regime since September 2022, during the peaceful protests known as “woman, life, freedom”. Throughout the performance, a projection displayed their portraits on and above me, showcasing the faces of children, young adults, and older individuals who sacrificed their lives for liberty. I invited the audience to join me in saying the names of these heroes and lighting a candle in their honor.
#Iran, in, ou, we, 2022
performance, about 15-20 minutes
Hashtag We, In, Out, Iran is a multidisciplinary work in which I symbolize my suffering in the face of the governmental barbarity towards Iranians who have risen up to end the totalitarian and religious regime of Iran, since September 16, 2022 with the death of Mahsa Amini, following her brutal arrest by the morality police for not wearing the veil properly. Today, these uprisings, recognized as a real revolution, have become famous by the slogan “woman, life, freedom”.Since any form of journalism in Iran is oppressed, it is by taking pictures that citizens bear witness to what is happening for the whole world to see. In this situation, social networks play a crucial role in spreading the voice of these citizens who share photographs and videos under hashtags such as “no to the Islamic Republic in Iran” (#notorepublicislamiciniran).
During the performance, dressed in bloody medical bandages, my whole being, my whole body as if caught in a trance, reacts to these real images of the demonstrations projected on me by externalizing this pain through expressive and brutal gestures.
Zan, zendegi, Azadi, (woman, life, freedom), 2022
Performance 30 minutes
This performance is a reflection on the Iranian revolution ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ in the context of the mandatory hijab and the regime’s violence against women in their pursuit of freedom and equality with men. The work pays homage to the bravery of these women who risk their lives to assert their rights in Iran. Various veils of different shapes and colors are made available to the audience, who are invited to veil me during the performance while I am seated on a chair. However, I reject these veils each time, removing and discarding them while shouting ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’. This reaction intensifies with time, becoming more powerful and forceful.
My body is mine 2021-22
Performance, about 20-25 minutes
during “Egon.a ( Sacred.e )” online video art and performance show, curator Sarah Cassenti (Aile Polina),
Traverse Vidéo art festival, curator Simone Dompeyre, Toulouse, France,
This performance raises questions about the freedom of choice for women in their private and public lives, as well as the violation of their rights in certain patriarchal and religious societies, such as Iran where wearing the hijab is mandatory. Furthermore, this work emphasizes the importance of women knowing and believing in their rights as equals to men. With a black pencil in hand, I write on my body, “my body is mine, your body is yours, …”. It’s reminiscent of the repetitive exercises elementary school children do when memorizing expressions. It’s as if I need to learn and affirm that I am the sole owner of my body and my life. It seems that we often lack awareness of our rights and the boundaries others should respect in our intimate and social lives.
Bloodshed 2020
Video- performance (Installation), color, sound, 2020, (0.09.16)
Bloodshed is a response to the violence and massacre of the Iranian people in November 2019 in several cities of the country during protests against the increase in gasoline prices, corruption, and inequality. According to the Iran Human Rights Center and Reuters, the state killed at least 1500 people in the streets and arrested over 7000 peaceful demonstrators who expressed their dissatisfaction and desire for a regime change. This video-performance represents my feeling of being drowned in the blood of this barbarity committed against the Iranian population, away from the world’s attention, while international political powers fail to condemn them due to a lack of diplomatic interest. The video overlays images of the performance where I struggle in a bath of blood with those of the protests and massacres of Iranians in the streets of the country, filmed by the protesters themselves, as the presence of all national and international journalists was forbidden. The voiceover is that of a journalist from France 24.
I heal myself, you heal yourself, They heal themselves, 2019
Video performance, color, stereo sound, 10’30”,
This work is a reaction to the violence that humanity is undergoing and the difficulties of healing after painful experiences. Since Iran’s New Year, on 21 March 2019, heavy rains have hit several regions, causing unprecedented flooding in more than 100 cities and villages, amplified by the disastrous management of infrastructure and waterways in recent years. President Rohani, in a complete negation of the problem, shows the gap between the suffering of the people and the politics in charge, by irresponsibly stating that “rain is a gift from god, that he will compensate those who have lost everything”. The population is completely left on their own. To show this, I integrate the archive images into the video of my performance to show the suffering of the Iranians, trapped, wounded by these events and alone in front of their distress.
During this performance, I wrap up my body in medical bands from head to toe. By covering my face, eyes, mouth, and ears, all my senses are attenuated, preventing me from speaking and expressing myself to the point of suffocation. Through this work, I wanted to symbolize the impossibility of certain healings, despite our efforts and hopes.
Je suis un arbre ( I am a tree), 2017
Performance, RMN-Grand Palais, Paris, France, (0.20.07)
I Am a Tree tackles the climate issues caused by human activities by confronting them with our daily lives. With my body covered in black and white images of cut and withered trees and plants, I captivate the spectator’s attention by looking them straight in the eye. Gradually, I tear apart these images that envelop me, as if it were my own skin I am ripping, to offer them as a gift.
This performance serves as a commitment against our irresponsibility towards nature, both in its flora and fauna, evoking the destruction and disappearance of our planet. Through “I Am a Tree,” I aim to evoke a sense of awareness in the audience, prompting them to reflect on our relationship with nature and emphasizing the urgency to preserve and protect our environment.
Water, earth, air , 2017
Video performance, in loop, color, stereo sound, (0.34.07)
Water, Earth, Air is a video-performance where I am submerged in muddy water, on the verge of drowning. My face disappears beneath the dark water and then reappears, highlighting the distress I experience in this condition. What prompted me to create the scenario of the natural elements and to execute this performance was the suffering of migrants who are forced to leave their countries and roots, and who face the challenges of borders. Thousands of refugees lost their lives in 2016 at sea, in the cold and rain.
The subversion of the symbolism of the three elements – earth, water, and air – as symbols of death instead of symbols of life, depicts a hell on earth and also reflects our human condition, limited by our bodies and our world. The temporal aspect of the scene, marked by slow movements of immersion and emergence of the face, evokes suffocation and anguish, intensified by a dark and monochrome image. The haunting sound immerses the viewer in this unsettling environment.
The installation involves a large-scale projection of the video in a dark room, where the sound fills the space. The looping video creates a sense of “endless battle of bodies,” challenging the impact of limits and constraints on our lives.
Pascale Weber : “Water, earth, air by Parya Vatankhah, a body is immersed in a mixture of mud and water. The body is filmed in a slow movement, it drowns, it disappears, it reappears again…This Franco-Iranian production can also evoke the disappearance of the woman’s body under the black of the veil, unless it is another black and thick liquid: petrol.” Chroniques en mouvements, p.32
Passage (2016)
Video performance, in loop, color, stereo sound, (0.24.09)
Passage aims to explore our journey in life, as we are confronted with our limitations in space and time. A woman dressed in white, folded in a fetal position, struggles in a white and confined space, evoking a sense of suffocation and confinement. The alternating slow and fast movements emphasize the feeling of discomfort and the aspiration to break free from this situation.
The looping video, creating a sense of endless “bodily battle,” challenges the impact of limits and constraints on our lives. White, for me, symbolizes purity, birth, and innocence, but it also represents the hospital environment and can be associated with the psychiatric realm, while also evoking the color of death. For instance, in Iran, the deceased are simply wrapped in a white shroud before being buried.
Not Read (2014)
Video performance, color, stereo Sound, (0.05.14)
Installation : one screen video, earth, crumbles papers
The video “Not Read” emerges from a profound reflection on the confrontation of memories with the present, delving into what has passed and ended, and what resides beyond the boundaries of space and time, such as the longing in exile.
This video, created as a performance, begins with a scene where I am seated on the ground, in the heart of a dark forest, writing my painful memories convulsively on several sheets of paper. Each time I finish a page, I sadly throw it to the ground, revealing the depth of my suffering.
The act of writing becomes a means to release my pains, whether it be the loss of my parents or the experience of exile. This suffering then manifests through disordered movements, where I throw myself and roll on the ground amidst these emotionally charged memories.
The installation, set in a dimly lit room, consists of a large screen adorned with soil and crumpled papers, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in the universe of this performance.
Get Along (2012)
Video performance, Color, stereo sound, (0.06.06). Performance: Enora Keller, Reza Taha
The video Get along withis a reflection on the taboos and weight of traditions and religions in society in terms of their impact in a relationship. The contrast between the movement of two bodies hidden under a The video Get Along With is a reflection on taboos, the weight of traditions, and the influence of political and religious power in Iran, as well as their impact on the private and intimate lives of the population, including relationships between men and women and the LGBT+ community. The contrast between the movement of love between two bodies under a white sheet and the rain of blood that fills the scene contributes to staging the aggression against each individual’s personal choices.
Metamorphose 2010
Video performance, two large screens, color, stereo sound (0.05.15),
The video-performance Metamorphose is connected to both familial and geographical mourning. It is the first artwork I created in France after immigrating. Through this performance, I aimed to live a unique experience by burying myself to connect with the earth, the deceased, and the otherworldly. I also wanted to test my body, challenge its resilience, and push its limits through this repeated ordeal throughout the day. However, I realized that the earth was much heavier than I had imagined before. Underground, everything is dark, cold, and silent.
The video consists of two parallel screens where I appear twice: walking in a forest, gazing at the horizon, and then digging the earth with a large shovel. Then, we see an empty grave on both screens, followed by a scene where I am lying in a tomb in one image, and in the other, I am covering myself with earth.