Published
PerformanceFrench artist JR in support of Iranian women in New York
JR presented his latest performance Sunday in New York, representing the face of an Iranian woman who died during the protests and her hair trained by volunteers.
JR chose Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, an island in the middle of the East River bordering eastern Manhattan, across from the United Nations headquarters, to present his work on Sunday, December 4, 2022.
AFP extension
“As an artist, you often ask yourself how you can help causes that are so just and that, somewhere, concern so many people in the world, so many women in the world, especially right now and in Iran,” Jean René, better known by his artist name JR.
After several weeks of reflection, he decided to make use of volunteers to style the hair of the young Nika Shakarami, who died at the age of 16 during the demonstrations sparked in Iran by the death of Mahsa Amini, on September 16, after being arrested by the Iranian morality police who felt that she was not wearing the veil properly. An aunt of Nika Shakarami sent the French artist one of the latest photos published by the young woman on social media, which has since been removed.
JR chose Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, an island in the middle of the East River that runs along eastern Manhattan across from the United Nations headquarters, to showcase his work Sunday. Thanks to this group of volunteers, more than a hundred in total, Nika’s hair comes back to life to the rhythm of the icy wind that blows over New York.
This photo “meant a lot to the family,” said the artist who presented his work for the first time in Brazil. “On our small scale, it’s one of the few things we can do, and then create an image like that, somewhere, it’s an eye-catcher to also show that on the other side of the world, we think about all these women and all these people fighting on the spot,” explained this committed artist, who has already presented works around the separation wall between Mexico and the United States, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or more recently the war in Ukraine.
“People are hair”
“I told myself that I should create an image of fact, where people are hair and in fact, an image that you can’t do without people, without people’s help,” he said. .
Iranian architect Aila Ahkhmi, 36, who participated with more than a hundred other volunteers in the composition of the veil, said she hoped that “our voice” would reach Iran, where “unfortunately, so many people activists and artists are barred from speaking out because they are immediately arrested and imprisoned.”
This performance is part of the “Eyes on Iran” campaign promoted by Iranian women members of organizations such as For Freedoms, Vital Voices and the global coalition Woman, Life, Freedom, which at the time of its launch on November 28 the latter received the support by former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
This campaign is working to get the United Nations to expel Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, in a vote scheduled for December 14.
According to a latest report provided by General Amirali Hajizadeh of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, there have been more than 300 dead in demonstrations since 16 September. Iranian authorities finally announced on Sunday the abolition of the much-disputed morality police.
(AFP extension)
