Instagram often throws up interesting opportunities. I came across ‘Say Their Name’ via other artists I followed. Anahita Revazani-Rad, acclaimed Iranian born artist started this collaborative project following the protests of autumn 2022.
Say Their Names is an art collective project to remember the Iranian people killed by the regime. At least 678 protesters have been killed since demonstrations swept Iran in September 2022. 93 among the dead were below the age of 18.
Anahita Rezvani-Rad
I contacted Anahita to get involved, she emailed me over a PDF with photographs and details about Mohammad-Hossein Faraji. I chose to work from the portrait phot and to use a muted palette. In the background I scratched into the wall ‘Say Their Names’. Working on this memorial portrait was emotional. Mohammad-Hossein Faraji was just 18 years old when he went missing.
The project acts as a travelling memorial with portrait shrines, for the protesters who were buried without memorial or ceremony. For further details, or to get involved, contact Anahita Rezvani-Rad (link below).
REFERENCE /LINKS
Say Their Name — Anahita Rezvani-Rad
Saytheirnames art project (@saytheirnames_artproject) • Instagram photos and videos
The Art Newspaper article Iranian artist stages collaborative work outside Tate Modern commemorating recent victims of Khamenei’s regime (theartnewspaper.com)
Charlie Kirkham 
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