Every day I am amazed at the ingenuity of Iran’s cyber generation. Isolated from outside media, they transformed seemingly narcissistic and shallow, global networking sites (check out pics of my trip to San Francisco) into an unrestricted forum divulging political corruption. This generation is completely utilizing resources like Youtube, where millions of people are witnessing the violence erupt in the streets, and Twitter, where first-hand experiences are chronicled in a continuous feed. Every viral message conveys unabashed, fear, frustration, and freedoms previous generations did not have; the anonymity of the World Wide Web has allowed Iranian citizens to expose and disapprove of their government from within their locked-down country.
In November, Grand Central Art Center will become another public forum on the unrest in Iran. Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets, organized by historian and guest-curator Elizabeth Little will feature Contemporary Iranian Art from artists living and working all over the world…except Iran. As a result of the Iranian Revolution of the 1970s the artists participating in Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets fled their native country and can now openly explore western culture and Iranian traditions through their art. Having experienced the Iranian Revolution these artists offer insight into a community torn between democratic and theocratic values, and, in my opinion, a community misunderstood or misrepresented in the media. The timeliness of this exhibition grows in importance every day the internet continues to provide us history in the making…or the remaking.
Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets opens November 7, 2009 at GCAC
