Artists around the world are active against the Iranian mullah regime. The Wentrup gallery in Hamburg is now showing touching portraits by Ghazall Abdolahi: delicate drawings of prisoners and protesters campaign for the problems in Iran.
Would you like to have a coffee together with family or friends? Live carefree into the day? An impossible dream in Iran. The mullahs’ regime is stealing these simple, self-evident things from millions of people. At least that’s how Ghazall Abdolahi saw it when he met ntv.de in the Wentrup gallery at the Feenteich. Her portraits of Iranian women are shown here in Hamburg. They are faces of courageous women who stood up for their freedom and rights. For this they were imprisoned, abducted, mutilated or murdered.
It is in this brief moment that the viewer has the feeling that the depicted woman is speaking to her. The opportunity for art lies in this intertwining of aesthetics and the realization that there is more at stake. Namely the opportunity to wake up and make a difference. Ghazall Abdolahi’s drawings are small because they are painted on coffee filters.
Coffee filter? Unusual, but she didn’t want to throw away the coffee filters she’d used. This resulted in a personal project of self-portraits, which her mother was very enthusiastic about. Abdolahi’s mother is a photojournalist and political activist. For two years she has been imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. She asked her daughter to send her some of the painted filters to hang on the wall next to her bed. As a result, her fellow inmates also wanted to be painted. Some of the drawings were made secretly during short visits to prison. Wasn’t it difficult to take the painted filters out with you? “No, the guards weren’t interested in the drawings on old filter bags,” says Abdolahi.
Two months ago, Ghazall Abdolahi was able to flee to Germany. Since she has been here, she has learned to speak freely: “I grew up in a country where the government constantly checks what you say and do. I know that I will not be returning to my homeland for a long time. I tell my friends that I weep every minute of freedom.” She made the decision to leave to protect her parents. Her mother has to spend another year in prison. Since she is no longer in Iran herself, she cannot be used as a bargaining chip by the regime. “My mother can say that she has no control over what I do and say,” Abdolahi said. As a graduate graphic designer, she also saw no future in a country where it is almost impossible for creative people to produce something that bypasses state censorship.
So why is an established Hamburg gallery now showing the coffee filter portraits of an unknown Iranian artist? The married couple Tina and Jan Wentrup not only want to sell art, but also offer a platform for discussions. They are politically and socially involved, but not in the activist field, if you could describe their attitude: “We believe that you can also draw attention to certain topics through aesthetics and sensual interaction.”
It’s not the first time that the Wentrups have opened their gallery spaces in Berlin or Hamburg to young artists. “Ultimately, this always happens through personal encounters,” explains Tina Wentrup. “In Berlin, at the International Women’s Forum, I met the producer Minu Barati, who spoke about the current situation in Iran. For me, an incomprehensible topic – a state that is wiping out its youth.” Through her the contact to Ghazall Abdolahi came about. The 28-year-old showed Tina Wentrup her delicate drawings: the coffee filters, the small format, the style of drawing – that’s something very special, the gallery owner thought. The strength and intensity of these women touched her deeply and convinced her immediately. “What is happening in Iran is also happening in other countries, such as Afghanistan. Just because we live here doesn’t mean it has nothing to do with us.”
The wave of protests began on September 16, 2022 with the death of the student Masha Amini in Tehran police custody. Protests have been rampant for the past 40 years, since the mullahs took power. But this time it’s different: All genders, ethnic groups and generations are taking part in “Women. Life. Freedom”. There are protests across the country against the system and 40 years of oppression. This is what makes Iranian anger so dangerous for the regime. There are demonstrations all over the world – sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. Then there is the internet, where pictures, videos and messages are posted and reposted. This creates visibility that gives the protesters the strength not to give up. Iranian artists like Shirin Neshat also ensure continued attention via Instagram and with art campaigns at the Berlin National Gallery or in other international art institutions. Even small signs from outside help to keep the women’s revolution in Iran alive.
When Ghazall Abdolahi was checked at the airport in Tehran with her visa for Germany, the border official returned the passport with the following sentence: “Now you are free and can go.” It was scary, says Abdolahi, because women in Iran are not free. Full of anger, the young artist sat on the plane, her emotional roller coaster ride continues to this day. She appreciates making new friends and getting support in Germany. But the longing for Iran remains. When she first went public in this country, she asked her parents what she can and cannot tell. They felt she should just tell the truth. Abdolahi’s hope is unshakable, because she believes that even the worst of times, something beautiful can come out. Then Abdolahi says sadly but firmly: “If it were over, who wouldn’t go back to their own homeland?”
Ghazall Abdolahi is on view at the Wentrup Gallery in Hamburg until February 25 as part of the “Paper. Salon. III” exhibition (viewing by appointment, mail@wentrupgallery.com). Half of the proceeds from the pictures go to the artist and half to Hawar.help
