An art exhibition that aims to draw attention to women’s civil rights issues in Iran will kick off at the Culture Lab LIC Thursday (Photo via Instagram)
Feb. 8, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
An art exhibition that aims to draw attention to women’s civil rights issues in Iran and recent protests there will kick off at the Culture Lab LIC Thursday.
The event, called “Anonymously Iran,” will have its opening night on Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the 5-25 46th Ave. gallery in Long Island City. The exhibition will run every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through March 26.
The free exhibition will feature sculptures, installations and paintings curated by anonymous artists. There will also be a selection of digital media and performance art.
Organizers say that artists who oppose the current Iranian regime face the threat of persecution. Therefore, contributing artists to the “Anonymously Iran” exhibition will remain nameless.
The purpose of the exhibition is to highlight the fight for freedom in Iran and to stand in solidarity with protesters there– and around the world — who have been demonstrating against the death of an Iranian woman called Mahsa Amini in Tehran in September 2022.
Critics of Iran’s authoritarian regime say Amini, 22, was beaten to death while in police custody after being arrested for not wearing a hijab correctly. Amini had been picked up by the morality police, a dedicated unit of the government’s police force that enforces strict dress codes for women, and later died.
Iranian authorities say she died of heart failure.
Amini’s death led to a wave of protests in Iran and around the world — including in New York City — which have become known as the “Woman Life Freedom” movement. More than 500 Iranian protestors have allegedly been killed by the regime following Amini’s death, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
Artwork that will feature at the exhibition (Photo via Facebook)
Organizers of “Anonymously Iran” say that many museums and galleries around the world have been hosting exhibitions to shine a spotlight on the protestors who are fighting for freedom in Iran. They say that this exhibition is an extension of those displays.
“Since the murder of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, the global art community has taken an active and important role in support of the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ movement in Iran,” a statement from the organizers reads.
“Iranian women are leading the fight against an aging theocratic regime clinging to power. While the authoritarian regime has sought to subdue the Iranian people and its culture, it is Iranians that are quelling the regime.”
Regular opening hours will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Thursday and Friday, and from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
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