The Art and Space of Rebellion: How Iran's Streets Became a Revolutionary Stage
September 16, 2024 marks the second anniversary of the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. It also commemorates the subsequent Women, Life, Freedom (zan, zindagi, azadi) uprising and provides a crucial moment to reflect on its wider impact across politics, religious extremism, feminism, and human rights. Beyond the courage of the youth, men, and women who took part in this movement—most notably advocating for the right to choose whether to wear the hijab in public—the uprising also sparked an artistic revolution.
During the uprising, which spanned from mid-September 2022 to late spring 2023, an extraordinary wave of artistic activism swept across public spaces, universities, and even major art institutions. Both emerging and established artists participated in these acts of resistance, risking arrest, detention, or worse. But this movement wasn't spontaneous; it was the result of years of quiet rebellion, honed through creative expression and a commitment to peaceful resistance.
Iran's art scene has long been a force for change, with artists challenging authority well before the 2022 protests. Iranian artists have a longstanding tradition of engaging in street performances. A notable example occurred in 2011, when dozens of women dressed in red occupied one of the busiest and most surveilled corners in central Tehran (Fig. 1). This performance was a tribute to a so-called woman-in-red who, before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, had expressed love and passion at the same location. However, during this particular uprising, artistic expression took on an even more central role. Artists, particularly women and youth, took to public spaces to amplify the voices of those on the frontlines. Their work—whether in semi-open galleries, on the streets, or through performance—was critical in galvanizing the movement and giving it a bold visual and effective performative language.
Fig. 1 Women in Red, Mohammad Hosseini et al., 2011, Ferdowsi Square, Tehran. Photograph by Saeed Kiaee. Courtesy of the artist.
Iranian streets are complex and fraught with restrictions, particularly for women. Since 1983, the mandatory hijab law and the establishment of the Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol) have regulated women’s dress, behavior, and social interactions. While initiatives like women-only parks ostensibly increase public access, they often enforce further regulations and surveillance. In response to these state-imposed controls, movements like Women, Life, Freedom have reclaimed public spaces through creative and confrontational means. Iranian artists, despite the challenges, continue to navigate and transform these public spaces, making their work essential to resistance and collective identity.
In my recently published book, Women, Art, Freedom: Artists and Street Politics in Iran (September 2024, Fig 2), I explore how artists, before, during, and after the uprising, used their work to challenge Iran’s oppressive regime in real-time.
Fig 2 Cover of the book, Women, Art, Freedom: Artists and Street Politics in Iran (2024) by Pamela Karimi.
Through their guerrilla interventions, artists used their bodies and props to disrupt the mundane routines of everyday life, actively participating in the protests. One woman artist used her body as a literal tool, rolling up and down the streets of the holy city of Mashhad to convey the message of reclaiming public space (Fig.3). Another artist engaged passersby in untangling a mass of ropes tied together, reflecting on Persian traditions of resolving conflicts—where untying knots symbolizes problem-solving, not by one person, but by the entire community (Fig. 4). People understood the message and eagerly participated in the endeavor.
Fig. 3 Nasrin Shahbeigy, The Cry of the Body, performed in multiple locations across Mashhad and showcased in video format at Persbook’s 12th Annual of Contemporary Art in Fall 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Fig. 4. Hand to Hand, Mojdeh Atrak, 2023, Tehran. Courtesy of the artist.
I structured the book like a series of “acts,” mirroring the fluidity and dynamism of a theatrical performance—an apt metaphor for protests that are constantly evolving. These “acts” are still unfolding in streets and public spaces today, as the movement continues.
Above all, the book centers on how artists engage with and transform space. As an architect, I have long been fascinated by how people interact with public spaces. In this book, I focus on how Iranian artists used streets and urban environments as stages and battlegrounds for their activism. Public spaces became integral to the art, with protests often taking on a performative quality that blended seamlessly into the fabric of city life.
“The street art emerging from the Women, Life, Freedom uprising movement exemplifies the sophistication of Iran’s peaceful pursuit of democracy.”
Protests can appear chaotic from the outside, particularly when seen through the lens of social media or mainstream news. My book reveals the careful planning and years of critical spatial practice behind what often seems like spontaneous acts of resistance. Iranian artists, in particular, are not simply reacting impulsively—they tactically confront power structures, drawing from a rich history of political and artistic activism. The street art emerging from the Women, Life, Freedom uprising movement exemplifies the sophistication of Iran's peaceful pursuit of democracy.
Sociologist Asef Bayat’s concept of street politics during the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran shows how marginalized groups used streets as platforms for resistance when formal channels were closed to them. Drawing on Michel de Certeau’s theory of "tactical interventions," Bayat explains how disenfranchised people disrupted dominant power structures by using public spaces for communal expression and political dissent.
My book examines how such tactical interventions go beyond mere survival and the demand for basic rights, serving as a form of performance and reenactment that peacefully and elegantly amplifies the message of the protests. Artistic interventions—from mobile installations to performance art—challenge the state’s control over public spaces in both symbolic and direct ways. They go beyond simple protest; they significantly shape both the conversation around public space and the actual politics governing it.
One of my favorite projects, extensively discussed in the book, is by the young artist Tanin Torabi, a dancer and filmmaker. Through her performances, Torabi disrupts the flow of everyday street life, creating powerful moments of rapture and interruption (Fig 5). She and her crew reenact protest gestures and bodily movements in public spaces, drawing attention to the possibilities of civil disobedience and resistance. These actions engage the public and challenge the passive acceptance of authority, metaphorically and temporarily turning the streets into spaces of defiance.
Fig. 5 Tanin Torabi et al., still from Until…, 2023, Tehran. This film, based on a real-time performance on the streets of Tehran during the peak of the uprising, "reenacts” the protest. Courtesy of Tanin Torabi and photographer Arya Khaksari.
One notable discovery during my research is a group of political poets who have transitioned into performative poetry, or she’r ejra in Persian. Iran is often associated with its rich literary traditions, but it was eye-opening to see this fusion of poetry and performance art emerge during the movement, further demonstrating the country’s deep creative spirit (Fig 6). Although these performances bear some resemblance to poetry-jamming and recitation practices popular during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, especially in Beat poetry, this art form in Iran has its own distinct character. It aligns more closely with older traditions such as Shahnameh Khani (public recitations of Ferdowsi's 11th-century Book of Kings).
Fig. 6 Samira Yahyaie performing at Vayu Residency in Kashan. Photo courtesy of Mahmoud Maktabi, Director of Vayu Residency.
My book began as an exploration of women's art, but it gradually evolved into something broader. While women are at the heart of this movement, many male artists have also embraced feminism, demonstrating that the fight for women's rights in Iran is not exclusive to any gender. Finally, I want to acknowledge that the process of documenting the artistic contributions of the men and women involved in this movement was carried out at a fast pace. I wrote the book quickly, and thanks to the efforts of my publisher and all those who helped bring this project to fruition, it has been made available in time for the second anniversary of the uprising. The urgency I felt in documenting the art of this uprising reflects the rapid pace of the movement itself; it also ensures that these stories, these acts of bravery and creativity, will not be forgotten.
As we commemorate the anniversary of the Women, Life, Freedom uprising, I hope that readers come away with a deeper understanding of the power of art in resistance and the immense effort and courage it takes to fight for freedom through creative expression.
