The pulse of protest art is rising in Iran.

The widespread uprising of the Iranian people and the presence of women and girls at the forefront of these movements have awakened the creativity that was dormant in the heart of Iranian society. Today, we witness the art of protest and its prominent symbol in various recent waves of struggles across Iran. This magnificent and historic wave of protest art and its manifestations have quickly crossed the borders of Iran with the help of communication technology, and have not only connected the six million Iranians in the diaspora with their compatriots, but have also brought about a new wave of protest art among creative artists and activists on a global level.

The definition of protest art and similar terms such as “committed art” and “resistance art” and what characteristics does it have? The truth is that artistic creativity has a powerful capacity to express political and social perspectives and opinions. Protest art emerged in the early 1900s and became more prominent during the second half of the 20th century with the rise of social movements on a global level.

Protest art and its examples in the struggles for the rights of the people of South Africa, support for peace and ending the Vietnam War, women’s and feminist movements, Chicano murals in America, in rock and rap music and the anti-apartheid student movement of the 1980s, to performance art such as Act Up, the Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street movements, and hundreds of other examples of social movements can be mentioned.

Protest art, art of resistance, and art with a political and social message are among the most powerful tools in the hands of activists and social activists to combat injustice, discrimination, and challenge power structures and authoritarianism in all social and political spheres. Protest art can take various forms of visual arts such as design, painting, sculpture, photography and printing, installation, graffiti, wall writing, or performing arts such as theater, dance, music, literature, poetry and fiction; in other words, protest art transcends all limitations and boundaries of genres of visual arts, media and defined disciplines.

Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist, says: “If we have to say something about art, it is that art is about our morals and beliefs about humanity. In simple terms, without this, there is no art.” In addition to being a form of protest and opening up space for social movements, especially in the second half of the twentieth century, art itself has also been redefined and encompassed new and creative styles, in other words, incorporating new forms of expression. The growth of communication technology and social media, and the transformative potential of the internet and making creativity and initiatives accessible for the advancement of social movements is another area worth considering.

The expression and artistic creativity sometimes provides the opportunity for direct and indirect interpretation and discussion. Artists, in social conditions of suffocation and suppression of basic human freedoms, use various forms and genres of art to express and voice their opinions, as art does not convey a blatant, bold, and unfiltered message of protest. Artists, with their more sensitive perspectives, are influenced by challenges, deficiencies, discrimination, and injustices. The intense emotions of artists lead them to create works that, like a microscope, reveal the social harms and pains, and scream out the suppressed anger and accompany the tumultuous social upheavals that have affected them and taken root in their hearts in an organic and self-inspired manner.

Another aspect of the broad dimensions of protest art is its commitment to resistance. Artists who are embedded in the hearts of the people and are beloved, can use their creativity to influence a wider range of people; this is also true for athletes. Artists can persuade citizens to support social movements and their network of communication with the people can organize public movements and reproduce the process of synergy between committed artists and disruptive structures, and have a significant impact on a larger scale. The social commitment of artists to the hopes and human aspirations of the people, to democracy, freedom, equality, and hope for the future, arises from here.

Tania Broguera accurately refers to the role of artists as “feeling good is not enough; one must create a political moment” or as Diego Rivera, the renowned Latin American-Mexican artist, says: “The role of the artist is the role of a revolutionary soldier.” Committed art and protest art can play a prominent role in highlighting damages, reductions, and deficiencies, criticizing or challenging entire power structures in the form of a painting, graffiti, or poem.

“Transmitting a message to change the format of artistic creativity can quickly bring about social action and protest against what has bound and constrained society, and become a medium in the most concise way possible.”

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Graffiti in Toronto in solidarity with the people of Iran – Photo of the peace line.

Protest art, which grows in times of crises and social upheavals, is much more difficult to define its starting point compared to other genres of art. Protest art and street art have no signature and are not registered as personal property. Protest art has a wide range of audiences and creates spaces for those who are on the margins of society and whose creativity cannot pass through the corridors of hierarchical power structures and the realm of art.

Furthermore, in studies that have been conducted around protest art, it is evident that protest art is not solely produced by professional artists, but also by talented social activists and self-motivated individuals. Classical knowledge and skills are not necessarily required for creating protest art, as it is essentially a form of expression, a message, and a medium.

This transitional nature allows for the participation of the audience in some of the arts, especially performing arts. Being open and unmediated invites public participation. The nature of creative media is, in fact, the center of communication for inviting political and social action.

Protest art is also future-oriented and emphasizes the exposure of hidden and repressive power relations. The art of resistance in social action during the apartheid era in South Africa began with the uprising of “Soweto” and its revolutionary movement. Images of Steve Biko, a charismatic activist who emerged from the struggles of the South African people, describe the word “art of resistance” in South Africa in wall paintings, posters, t-shirts, and graphics with political messages. Steve Biko became a symbol of anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa and was killed by the police in 1977, which sparked even deeper anger and waves of protests to overthrow the racist government.

Although it has been mentioned that many works of art are not necessarily recognized and famous by artists, but among the works that have used their creativity to protest against war, injustice and violence, we can mention Picasso’s “Guernica” or Norman Carlzberg’s artworks about the Vietnam War or Susan Kraile’s work about torture in Abu Ghraib prison by American soldiers.

“Image of a beautiful sunset over the mountains.”
First Image: A girl with a balloon, 2002, by Banksy
Second Image: Neither girl, nor balloon… never again, 2022, by Siavash Moghimi

One of the other artists is Behnam, whose works and name are synonymous with street art and graffiti. Banksy is an artist and filmmaker. This artist, whose true identity and name are still shrouded in ambiguity and unconfirmed, has been active in England since the 1990s. Banksy’s works have played a role on the walls of cities in various countries; without a signature and with audacious and unapologetic disregard for the structures of the art world and galleries. He is an artist who once described graffiti and street art as a form of revenge for the lower class. He says graffiti uses guerrilla tactics, allowing you to take power, territory, and glory from a larger and more equipped enemy. He says, if you don’t own the company that runs the train, go and paint on it and take over that territory.

Protest art in the recent uprising in Iran.

Social transformations are recorded in the realm of artistic creations and are reproduced in the minds and hearts of the masses. Images, songs, paintings, calligraphy, poems, and slogans nurture the pulsating heartbeats of social changes. Art, as a protester, a resistance, and a revolutionary, moves on the clear and shining edges of the old and wounded, and commands the continuity of movement towards bright, just, and inclusive futures.

The front against art has never been able to create a stable, creative, and influential culture in any part of the world. Confronting widespread social upheavals and preserving outdated fronts, weak structures, and authoritarian cultural strategies, even if they are considered as a “weapon”, cannot command an army that has already lost its legitimacy, and cannot win in this cultural battle. Protest art, committed and resilient, are in fact the bells ringing the irreversible path towards the future.

Protest art has been a prominent feature during the past two months alongside the uprising of the Iranian people, especially the 1980s generation, women, and girls. It has reflected the beautiful and prominent characteristics of each region and geography of Iran.

Wall writing with just one simple sentence “What courage was hidden in this land” and a picture of a girl with a backpack or wall writings “Woman, Life, Freedom” (the picture you see at the beginning of this article), creative posters, poems, thousands of uses of Mahsa (Jina) Amini’s image, artistic clips, and dozens and hundreds of works of protest art have been written in the new season of protest art literature.

In Iran, the art of protest, which blossoms and becomes more fertile every moment, also fertilizes the grounds for feminist art. Feminist art consciously pursues issues of gender. Feminist art is inspiring for changes, transformations, and cultural perspectives, and for changing gender stereotypes in art.

This idea that “the personal is political,” this personal revelation can be a political tool. Many activists have used their personal experiences with gender to guide their study and perspective on public dimensions. Creative artists and activists who are concerned with gender discrimination have utilized protest art and its various platforms to challenge unequal power dynamics in the patriarchal system. These artists have continuously and persistently questioned traditional notions of beauty to open up its spaces and encompass diversity and multiplicity. In protest art, especially in performing and street arts, the audience is not only a consumer of artistic creativity but also a significant contributor to its production.

It can be boldly stated that the pulse of feminist protest art today is manifested through songs, street theater, paintings, posters, videos, music, dances, and many other forms among Iranians in Iran and the diaspora. It has played a historic role not only among Iranians and those of Iranian descent, but also on a global scale, and continues to move forward like a wave that knows no calmness.

According to Emma Goldman, a Russian political activist and writer, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”