March 2023, VIVA curated an exhibition to support and advocate for the Iranian people’s peaceful but determined uprising to demand their basic human rights and freedoms which was met with the oppressive regime’s harsh dissent and deadly force. From removing compulsory headscarves in public to participating in ongoing protests and strikes, the people’s honourable acts of defiance at great personal risk continue to capture the world’s attention.

Visual arts can serve as a potent venue for examining, re-imagining, and inspiring values, beliefs, and aspirations that inform societies’ evolving notions of honour. Unveiling Honour is an exhibition of contemporary Iranian works that explore the individual and collective values that propel the Iranian people’s rebellion against oppression. In addition to highlighting the courage, selflessness, integrity, and resoluteness of people charging to reclaim their dignity, this exhibition aimed to communicate the anxieties and struggles of contemporary Iranian experience.    

Participating Artists:

Negin Ataeeyeh

Amir Aziz

Reza Doust

Marzieh Fakhr

Golnaz Kiany

Mohsen Khalili

Ahoo Kheradmand

Mahrouzh Mahmoudi

Shoora Majedian

Mohadeseh Movahed

Maryam Naderi

Sasan Nasernia

Parvin Peivandi

Nasim Pirhadi

Golriz Rezvani

Parvaneh Roudgar

Hadis Vahidi