Studio Session w/ Featured Artist Shaghayegh Moradiannejad!
March 8th 7 PM PST | 10 PM EST on Instagram Live
Topic: Honoring International Women’s Day
Writer: Natasha Navarra
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we hosted an IG Live Studio Session to recognize the achievements of women and raise awareness about issues relating to gender inequality.
International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8th and is widely recognized around the globe, it is a day to honor the progress made toward gender equality and to acknowledge the work that still needs to be done to ensure that women around the world have equal rights and the same opportunities as men.
This day is observed in different ways in many countries, depending on traditions and local customs, many organizations choose to celebrate the day as well by holding events, rallies, and other activities to promote equal rights for women and educate others on economic and social obstacles which perpetuate the cycle of gender inequality.
Women often face many challenges and barriers to accessing resources such as cultural biases and limited financial resources, governments must work to provide more opportunities for women to access training and development programs.
Women have made significant strides in recent decades and have broken through the glass ceiling and gained leadership positions in business, politics, as well as many other sectors. There are now more women than ever before serving in roles as elected officials, CEOs, and board members. Women are now completing university degrees at higher rates than men in many countries and have made progress in raising awareness about gender-based violence and the need to respond to it.
Women are now speaking out about their experiences and there is a growing movement to end violence against women. This IG Live Studio Session features artist Shaghayegh Moradiannejad, an Iranian photographer and social documentarian known for her powerful work that explores themes of identity, culture, and society, particularly as they relate to women in Iran. Her work captures the stories of both women and children who have experienced the ravaging brutalities of war.
Through her photography, Moradiannejad uses her platform as an artist to make a positive impact on society and encourage critical thinking about important social and political issues. This effort began in Iran and Afghanistan and she intends to carry it out to other areas of the world. Through her photography, she documents the lives and struggles of marginalized individuals and communities, shedding light on their experiences and bringing attention to important social and political issues.
Moradiannejad’s work serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength of Iranian women in the face of societal challenges. Her last project is about Kurdish women who lived in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and the Syrian Arab Republic.
In the summer of 2014, the news about the massacre of Kurdish-speaking Yazidi religious minorities by ISIS in northwest Iraq sent shockwaves across the world. Following the retreat of Kurdish Peshmerga forces, approximately 200,000 Yazidi people were displaced in an attempt to escape the clutches of ISIS. Tragically, ISIS forces massacred Yazidi men, while women and children were taken captive against their will. The experiences of these Yazidi women are among the most heartbreaking, their lives were completely shattered, as they lost everything from their homes to their spouses, children, parents, siblings, and their freedom.
As a testament to their stories and suffering, the women tattooed their bodies, tattoos vary from the names of their husbands to the names of lost sisters. Each woman had also received a number that identified her as a captive of ISIS, one of the most poignant tattoos is that number which identified them as prisoners. With no access to the proper venues and professional tattoo equipment, the women used a combination of blood, ash, and their own breast milk to mark themselves. The tattoos now serve as a narration of the depths of their traumatic pain and stand to be one of the proofs of ISIS crimes.
Now despite escaping from ISIS, the souls of these women still suffer from captivity and the tattoos are a powerful reminder of their pain. This paved the path to Moradiannejad’s series titled –“Ash Milk”.
Shaghayegh Moradiannejad’s ‘Ash Milk’ series is a collection of artworks that explore the experiences of these women. The series is inspired by their stories of violence and oppression, and through her art, Moradiannejad aims to give to these women a voice and raise awareness about the challenges they face. The series of portraits is characterized by bold and abstract compositions that combine traditional Iranian motifs with modern materials and techniques. Each piece of artwork tells a story, drawing on the artist’s own experiences and the experiences of the women she has met. The ‘Ash Milk’ series is an emotional, thought-provoking exploration of the complexities of womanhood in Iran.
During the IG Live Studio Session, we are able to view pieces of work by Moradiannejad. In our online gallery, you’ll find many pieces from this series, each one named after a woman, a woman whose name was taken from them and now given back with a voice to share their story. Art is a powerful tool for social change and one of the most important ways that art empowers women is by giving them a voice.
For centuries, women’s stories have been silenced, their voices muted and perspectives dismissed but art provides a way for women to express their truth and tell their stories, without feeling the fear of repression. Women can build the bridges they need across generations and cultures to create a global movement for women’s rights across the globe. Moradiannejad’s work is an influential force for change. Her photographs provide a compelling visual representation of the gender inequalities and social injustices that exist in Iran. Her work highlights the pertinence of empowering girls and women to actualize their full potential and to live free from discrimination.
By sharing her photographs on International Women’s Day, Moradiannejad’s work can help motivate not only individuals but organizations around the world to take action toward achieving gender equality. Her photographs can serve as a reminder of the importance of continuing to fight for women’s rights, not just in Iran, but in all countries and communities.
Honor International Women’s Day with us Watch our IG Live Studio Session available on Instagram
Stay Connected With Us!
The Art Spread IG Page: https://www.instagram.com/the.art.spread/
Rawan IG Page: https://www.instagram.com/project.therapaint/
Shaghayegh Moradiannejad IG Page: https://www.instagram.com/shaghayegh_moradiannejad/
Beautiful recap on an amazing event
This was an incredibly moving and powerful event. Grateful to Sha for joining our conversation and to Natasha for writing about our chat so passionately.