Tale of Hair, 2022

75×36

acrylics, soft wood, found objects

“Tale of Hair” is a visual exploration of the multifaceted experiences of hijab within Iranian culture—from an emblem of cultural identity to a symbol of oppression. Through this painting, I seek to examine the layered significances of the hijab: chosen, cultural, and forced, and the impact of each on the fabric of our society.

The narrative begins in the top right corner, where I have recreated newspaper clippings from the post-Islamic Revolution era. The hollow promises of “Hijab will not be forced” starkly contrast with the veiled realities of executions and losses, the numbers of which are deliberately obscured by bandages representing the deep, unhealed wounds within the collective heart of our people.

In the golden-framed storybook sky of the bottom left corner, bandages again appear—this time chronicling the lives lost in current protests. Sized to distinguish between the silenced voices of adults and children, they are symbolic obituaries for the fallen, set against the backdrop of Persian literary heritage.

Within this historical frame, I have placed two boxes, enveloped in a collage of The tale of Zahhak, an ancient story symbolizing tyranny that eerily mirrors the current regime’s stranglehold over the people that echos the enduring themes of tyranny and dictatorship, a stark reflection of today’s Iran. The bandages winding around the book tally with the victims of today’s protests, each wrap a somber nod to the lives altered by the struggle for autonomy. My own poems, spilling from the confines of these boxes, form a bridge between the tales of old and the present struggle, suggesting that the lessons of history are yet unlearned.

The chain that stretches across the canvas, anchored to the words “the garment of sorrow,” leads to a head straining towards freedom. This represents the urgent cry of a nation to shift from mourning to mobilization, from sadness to righteous anger, echoing the sentiments of protest leaders who remind us that this is a time not for tears, but for action.

The fabric and architectural motifs signify the longstanding presence of the hijab in our culture—not as an imposed shackle but as a potential choice, an adornment that has been interwoven into our cultural tapestry over centuries, yet should not be a yoke that fractures our cultural integrity.

In the upper left corner of the story frame, I depict the movement that binds past and present, encapsulating the essence of womanhood, life, and freedom. “Tale of Hair” is not just a painting; it is a historical document, a poem, and a rallying cry, urging us to break the cycle of oppression and to reclaim the narrative of our culture and our choices.