This is Not a Scarf is a work inspired by decades of religious and systematic oppression against women’s freedom of movement in Iran. The creation of this corpus of installations is triggered by the recent explicit crimes against women and the death of Mahsa Amini on September 20, 2022, in Iran. A pair of bronze hands is placed in the gallery’s showcase, decorated with a selection of scarves. The Iranian diaspora of Montreal donated its headscarves, the act of offering of which became an integral part of the work.
Looking at the work closely, we find the trace of the voices of the women who participated in a public intervention performance at the Place des Arts in October 2022, during which Somaye Farhan was accompanied by performance artist Elahe Moonesi. On the stairs of the Place des Arts, a stack of scarves was made available to spectators. They were invited to take one and then attach it to the performers’ bodies, in the desired way. A long piece of white fabric went down the stairs, on which spectators had the opportunity to write a word about their feelings about recent events in Iran. The participants’ contributions were then traced and screen-printed on the headscarves.
The similarity of this exhibition with a captivating scarf store raises the question of the function of the scarf as an object. In Iran, the scarf is emblematic of beauty and the “protection of women against the male gaze”. When we examine it more closely, the disturbing subjectivity behind this object predominates. Cast in the heavy alloy of bronze, the fabric reveals its forced function. Behind this beauty lies a long history of oppression and resistance.
This is not a scarf was showcased at La Central Powerhouse Gallery in Montreal as part of the Vitrin Exhibition from July 14th to August 27th, 2023. For more information about this multimedia installation, please visit the gallery’s website.
