Presentation of Parya Vatankhah for the AICA France Art Criticism Prize, Paris 2023

Parya Vatankhah, an Iranian artist living in France, stands out for her profound commitment, exemplary courage, and raw sensitivity. A staunch defender of freedom of expression—the very raison d’être of AICA—her work strongly addresses the rights of Iranian women, the violence they endure, and the oppression of the Iranian people.

Vatankhah grew up under the theocracy established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Yet she carries within her the heritage of a Persian culture passed down by her parents, celebrating joy, music, dance, and a rich artistic tradition. This contrast between the artistic freedom of the past and present-day oppression runs through her work, echoing the history of an Iran deeply marked by political upheaval.

The veil is at the heart of several of her works, such as the video Women must be beautiful, women must be hidden. Inspired by Marina Abramović, the piece shows a woman nervously adjusting the veil that oppresses her. “This repetitive gesture,” the artist says, “symbolizes the suffering and deprivation I have endured since the age of seven due to the compulsory hijab.” At La Friche la Belle de Mai, the video was projected at the end of a narrow corridor. A carceral atmosphere. The viewer must pass through three large black veils to reach the screen, experiencing the sensation of being restricted by the veil. Banned in Iran, this work now makes it impossible for the artist to return to her country.

Confinement is a recurring theme in Vatankhah’s work. Although exile has preserved her freedom of creation, it has not freed her from the feeling of being trapped. In Passage, dressed in white—mourning, hospital—the artist struggles with the cramped, all-white space, her body unable to move freely, constantly searching for an unattainable position of comfort. The soundscape evokes a paradoxical, cosmic void, intensifying the sense of oppression.

In Circle (2016), a 20-minute video, endless tunnel imagery is superimposed with that of a woman spinning like a whirling dervish. The low brass soundtrack heightens the sense of anxiety and disorientation.

With Distance (2018), the artist explores the recurring nightmare of a stairway to nowhere, closed doors, and a desperate run. The sound, marked by heavy breathing, enhances the metaphorical suffocation. The artist also uses her body as a canvas in performances such as My Body Is Mine, where she writes slogans in Persian on her own skin asserting bodily autonomy: “My body is mine – Your body is yours – Their body is theirs.” This piece echoes the feminist claims of the 1970s, calling for the liberation of Iranian women’s bodies.

In Fragments of Pain, Vatankhah creates a desert landscape where the body of a wounded woman lies—almost like a mummy. It is the body of Iranian women, scarred by oppression. The bandages both protect and constrain; bloodstained gauze filters the gaze. The lens focuses on fragmented bodies, a metaphor for a wounded nation. She also tackles injustice through works in which she portrays herself handcuffed, wearing a sign reading “Iranian” around her neck, denouncing the show trials and the purging of elites by the Islamic Republic. These performances reveal how every Iranian can become a defendant under this regime.

With Iran Resists (2023), Parya Vatankhah honors the victims of the protests for “Woman, Life, Freedom.” She projects portraits of the dead and invites the audience to say their names and light candles in their memory. Through this performance, the artist transforms pain into a collective cry, engaging the public in a reflection on resistance and memory.

Vatankhah’s work stands out not only for its deep political engagement but also for its powerful visual and aesthetic force. Recurring elements such as the body, used as a central medium, and the face, often bearing intense expressivity, lend her work both intimacy and emotional depth.

The stark opposition between white and red—present throughout her creations—underscores the contrast between purity and violence, mourning and resistance. Through her deft use of light, textures, and immersive spaces, Parya Vatankhah transcends representation to offer the viewer a physical and emotional experience of both oppression and hope. Her intense, symbol-laden artistic language makes her work a deeply moving visual and sensory experience.

Raphaël Cuir, art critic and historian