Tehran Urban Art Scene

Recently I went to a graffiti art exhibition, but because it wasn't a licensed exhibit I won't go into details about the artist or the venue. Though I will say that he's extremely talented (he seems to be the only up writer in Tehran) and that the gallery is known for supporting young talented artists who are forced "underground" due to severe restrictions. I just wanted to share some pictures of pieces that I took at the exhibit and a couple that I've taken around the city.

The artist uses the veil as a symbol in a lot of his work, this one the woman is covered but only from the neck up. I find it poignant because for a significant percentage of women here, the veil is just a facade they are forced to uphold because of the law as well as societal pressures. Even if some truly believe in wearing hijab, their actions may not reflect their outside appearance.

This was a tagged wall that was cleaned up the next day. The artist I talked to said graffiti has really short runs in Tehran because it is usually cleaned up quickly by police or by ordinary people. Also getting caught here is extremely dangerous (and expensive) so it's vital to go with a crew and have several lookouts.

More work from the exhibit. The artist combines traditional caligraphy of famous poets like Hafez, here he has set the lines of poetry to a backdrop of urban design.

He uses records as a canvas for many of his pieces.

50 Cent. He's everywhere. Most of the writers in Tehran (there are probably more than 40 known in the city) are fairly amateur. Most of them tag in English. Most of the time, they make no sense.

In the background, veiled women covered in the chador while a woman screams in the foreground. The writing is poetry from Hafez that says something to the effect of, you need to work on yourself before you can lead and influence others.

My favorite piece in the exhibit because it is so Tehran.