For me, one of the highest attributes of art is its ability to address political issues and its potential to bring about a more just and compassionate world. Certainly these issues change over time, but the fight for equality for all people is a worthy and lofty goal. While the media greatly influences societal shifts, even in a “democratic” country, many worthy causes are not brought to the public’s attention. The women’s outcry for equality in Iran which is the subject for My Stealthy Freedom seems to have “slipped through the cracks.” It was not until it became ugly, with acid being thrown in women’s faces and them ending up in the hospital, that thousands of Irani citizens, women and men alike, taking to the streets to protest, and our national media finally began to cover this story.
I first became aware of My Stealthy Freedom though a truly remarkable woman and inspiring teacher to both Erin and me, Paula Fraser. When she first started sharing these pictures with me in Facebook I had not heard of this movement before, nor had any of my women friends, most of whom are well-informed. Impressed by these brave women who were speaking out for their independence with proactive images of joy and peace, I became inspired to capture their emotions in paintings.
However, while working on this, what started as a delightful expression of freedom evolved into tragedy when women were attacked with acid for showing their hair, their faces, their bodies - for claiming their freedom - and when the Irani authorities responded to mass protests by trying to stifle and suppress public outcry. We are lucky to be able to raise our voices and speak our minds in this nation, and these works are a call for equality for all people everywhere, as well as a tribute to the bravery of the women fighting to regain basic civil liberties in Iran.
In further show of support, I plan to contribute a percentage of the sales of these paintings to Amnesty International.
I first became aware of My Stealthy Freedom though a truly remarkable woman and inspiring teacher to both Erin and me, Paula Fraser. When she first started sharing these pictures with me in Facebook I had not heard of this movement before, nor had any of my women friends, most of whom are well-informed. Impressed by these brave women who were speaking out for their independence with proactive images of joy and peace, I became inspired to capture their emotions in paintings.
However, while working on this, what started as a delightful expression of freedom evolved into tragedy when women were attacked with acid for showing their hair, their faces, their bodies - for claiming their freedom - and when the Irani authorities responded to mass protests by trying to stifle and suppress public outcry. We are lucky to be able to raise our voices and speak our minds in this nation, and these works are a call for equality for all people everywhere, as well as a tribute to the bravery of the women fighting to regain basic civil liberties in Iran.
In further show of support, I plan to contribute a percentage of the sales of these paintings to Amnesty International.
