“Since the brutal murder of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of Iran’s morality police, Iran’s women have led a revolution—now known as the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement—against Ayatollah Khamenei. Around the world, women have led protests against the “mandatory hijab” law that requires women to cover their hair. It was Mahsa Amini’s crime of showing a few strands of her hair that led to her murder by the morality police.
Building on the award winning success of its first art car in 2021, PaykanArtCar, a nonprofit organization, partnered with the renowned Iranian artist Simin Keramati to launch the 2023 edition of its art car in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement.
The Paykan was the first automobile produced in Iran and it is an iconic source of national pride for all Iranians. Despite being no longer in production, the Paykan is a ubiquitous presence to this day on the streets of Tehran and across Iran.
PaykanArtCar enlists talented Iranian artists and the power of art to turn the iconic Paykan into a vehicle in support of human rights in Iran. …
For PaykanArtCar’s second edition, the organization worked with the renowned multidisciplinary Iranian-Canadian artist, Simin Keramati. Keramati donated her time and talent to create a protest symbol that reflects women around the world cutting their own hair in solidarity with the women of Iran who are forced to cover their hair under a hijab. Keramati’s contribution is visceral and disturbs the conscience. She incorporates cut human hair to fully adorn a 1970 model Paykan for this year’s PaykanArtCar.
Speaking about her work, Keramati remarked that ‘the presentation of the hair, face, and body of Iranian women has always reflected the patriarchal nature of the government ruling over Iran.’
The repression of women in Iran is so great that the mere showing of a few strands of hair outside a hijab can result in arrest, imprisonment, torture, and death. Yet, within Iran, there is significant resistance to the government’s imposition of these restrictions. The courageous women of Iran have stood in protest against the theological dictatorship of the Ayatollah. …
PaykanArtCar unveiled Keramati’s work in Oslo, Norway, on June 13, 2023, the first day of the Oslo Freedom Forum.
Céline Assaf-Boustani, President of the Human Rights Foundation, described the PaykanArtCar as a ‘wonderful and creative way to highlight the Women, Life, Freedom revolution.’ Assaf-Boustani noted how ‘the Iranian people need the support of everyone around the world who have the luxury of living in a democracy.’
Dr. Hiva Feizi, PaykanArtCar’s executive director, was on hand with Keramati and Alinejad to reveal the art car in front of the large crowd.
Commenting on the project to ARTnews, Feizi said, “Tragically, international attention is increasingly diverted elsewhere, leaving these courageous protestors at the mercy of a regime.” She added that ‘Through this incredibly impactful new artwork created by Simin Keramati, we want to bring the world’s attention back to where it belongs and play our part in galvanising support for the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution.’ “
-ARTnews, T. E. of. (2023, September 22). 2023 PAYKANARTCAR honors the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran. ARTnews.com. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/sponsored-content/2023-paykanartcar-honors-the-woman-life-freedom-movement-in-iran-1234679413/
The use of the Paykan in the nonprofit’s art exhibitions is fascinating. That a car could be an important symbol of a country shows the importance of cars in many cultures. Iran treasures the Paykan because it is uniquely theirs as the first car made in their country. Adapting this beloved national symbol to support the overlooked citizens in Iran is a genius idea. The artist Simin Keramati’s use of hair to unnerve the viewer creates a surreal and powerful image, bombarding its audience with the sheer scale of support for the Women, Life, and Freedom movement. It is a freaky and fantastic representation of women’s solidarity, and I hope it brings more media attention to this movement.
I’d like to further explore the car as a symbol and its meaning to different cultures.
