30 year on…

On this the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution I thought it might be interesting to blog some images from 30 years ago, as well as share some culture (art, music, football) from todays Iran.

Please note: I do not condone, nor, condemn the interpretations taken in these videos – they are taken from YouTube. (For info only).

This is a clip from a documentary titled “Crisis in Iran” by the History Channel with Mike Wallace.

This is the trailer for the documentary FOOTBALL UNDER COVER. The film was released on April 24th 2008 in Germany.

What’s life really like for the youth of Iran? Almost thirty years after the Islamic Revolution, young people have found a sanctuary where they can literally let their hair down.

Hip-Hop direct from the streets of Tehran, Iran. Hich-Kas. Cultures of Resistance helped produce the video. ‘Beats are universal and music can be a way to understand eachother even when governments and media prefer we not make the effort’.

Move it – Iranian Football short film by Ayat Najafi

All these videos were my strange route to take yo to the recently opened exhibit Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East. The new exhibition at Londons Saatchi Gallery makes one thing clear, Contemporary art is now a truly global phenomenon.

I was particularly struck by the work of Shadi Ghadirian, whose work the exhibit describes as:

“Challenging the international preconceptions of women’s roles within an Islamic state, Tehran-based artist Shadi Ghadirian’s photographs draw from her own experiences as a modern woman living within the ancient codes of Shariah law. Her images describe a positive and holistic female identity, humorously taking issue with the traditional roles by which women – both in the Middle East and universally – have been defined.”

untitled from the ghajar series (1998-1999, C-print, 213 x 152 cm)