Political Graffiti Installation by Coup Regime

Art review by Julie Jigsawnovich

Pro-Coup Regime graffiti in Iran lacks artistic merit. This should come as no surprise, since artists there tend to be arrested and jailed for criticizing them. Following are two videos from security cameras outside the Tehran home of former Iranian presidential candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, documenting an event on March 15th

Although the red paint adds drama, it's applied without regard to overall composition. Clearly, it was applied by rank amateurs whose only goal was to shock and dismay. This is even more obvious when the installation on Karroubi's home is compared to paintings by New York artist, Richard Hambleton, who first made a name for himself with his street art. http://illume.me/blog/photos/43.JPEG and http://casadeoroantiques.homestead.com/files/shadowman_painting.jpg

Phrases scribbled onto the building include, "Death to Karroubi!" Perhaps this is the regime's reaction to Karroubi's reportage of rapes by prison guards and security forces.

Persian calligraphy can be beautiful, even when applied with spraypaint on a wall, but what we see here is simply bad handwriting without even the excuse of hurrying to avoid arrest--the police were there guarding the vandals! In my town of New York, although graffiti has reached the level of a serious art form, with collectors from around the world, painting graffiti in public areas is a felony crime. So, to me it is quite shocking that the vandalism of Karroubi's home was supported by Iranian police and persons wearing Islamic Republic of Iran uniforms.

The IRI regime frequently disparages Western media for allowing criticism of the regime. But the use of the color yellow for the anti-BBC and anti-Voice of America signs used in this performance seems an odd choice. Yellow signs and banners are usually associated with the People's Mojahedin Organization, a leftist group vehemently opposed to the IRI regime. Was this simply an oversight on the event planner's part, or an attempt at appropriation?

"TEHRAN (AFP) – The wife of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi claimed on Monday that a group of 'thugs' paid by 'corrupt' government officials had vandalised the apartment block where the family lives in Tehran. 'About 50 people, including four or five women gathered in front of our building with the support of intelligence and police forces and shouted slogans,' opposition leader Karroubi's website, Sahamnews,quoted his wife Fatemeh Karroubi as saying. 'They vandalised the building. These are thugs who are on a payroll,' she added."

For the sake of contrast, here is a Taham video by Fred Khoshtinat, with high artistic value and excellent use of Persian script and music by the Iranian composer, Mahdyar Aghajani, who fled Iran due to persecution. Although the song itself is not political as far as I know, shooting a rap video inside Iran was. At one point, the video shoot was endangerd by a police raid, and the crew, actors and musicians barely escaped arrest by hiding the camera in a flower pot and running away, according to Aghajani.

Playa Philosopher: Fred Khoshtinat

by Julie Jigsawnovich

FRED Khoshtinat is renowned for Hichkas, Xaniar and Taham videos he directed and edited. Now FRED's first official track, "If You Want Me" (Age Mano Mikhay), has debuted at www.audiocrimes.com. He also wrote the lyrics, arranged and produced the song.

Measuredly impatient, words roll off his tongue in Parsi, "Don't act like a good girl for me. You know that we don't have much time till the end of the night...so if you want me, please hurry because my cognac is losing its effect on me, girl....I don't feel like dancing tonight. We're gonna dance enough in my room." Khoshtinat walks the tightrope of frankness with devastating Persian aplomb!

This song is crunchy, subtly nettling--but pleasure overrides pain with net results that exposure to this song is physically thermodynamic. You will want to get with someone. And you'll want it now!

One of the sound layers in the mix imparts a classic video game feeling, triggering my memories of visiting an arcade in Times Square when people were getting shot there on a regular basis. Deceptively simple in content, this song has the confidence and casual appeal of psychological game marksmanship. And something about one of the repeating percussive sounds recalls expertly, gently applied whips.

I asked FRED what effect he would like this song to have on women. He said, "I want them to feel weak in the vastness of their need to a male, and they will feel like a slave to a great power of gravity that is coming from the man--and the fact that sometimes they will do anything to conquer it." Deeply impressed by his cosmic sensual metaphors, I was none the less confused by the last phrase. "The man conquering the woman or the woman conquering the man?" I asked.

"Woman conquering man," he replied.

"Bale? To Conquer implies gaining mastery over someone. It's tricky because, I think, you are going beyond a simple slave/master symbol. You are transcending. What is 'it' that the woman will do anything to conquer?" I asked.

"Gravity that is coming from the man--the attention," he replied.

I asked him to repeat his metaphors in Persian. Khoshtinat said, "mikham ehsas zaaf kone joloye shahvat niaze shadidesh be yek marde khass, ehsas kone ke bardeyi shode nesbat be in niaz va ghodrati ke az tarafe mard sater mishe va dokhtar ro mikeshoone va jazb mikone, yaade oon mavagheyi biofte ke vaseye fathe in tavajjoh va raaf kardane in niaz hazere har kari bokone hatta khodesho payin bire va koochik kone, humiliate herself."

Although I have no illusions regarding the many power dynamics of sexual attraction, I found his desire for the woman to humiliate herself troubling--partly because I believe there is more to Khoshtinat than this statement allows. A clue, perhaps, is the photo accompanying "If You Want Me" (Age Mano Mikhay.) FRED's head rests in the lap of a woman with strong-looking legs. He lies on his back, peering out at the viewer, smiling.

originally published at:
http://www.persianesquemagazine.com/2009/09/01/music-playa-philosopher/#more-919