Tehran Ratz: Graffiti for a new Iran /street art

Almost every day, news and media cover politics or policy related topics on Iran with a concrete agenda. Behind this coverage, however, there is another voice desperate to be heard. It’s the voice of Iranian artists representing ordinary Iranian citizens. Trying not to be overshadowed by the common misconceptions about Iran, it is not easy to earn a forum for displaying their arts.

Fortunately, many non-Iranian activists who have noticed this phenomenon are turning their interests toward some groundbreaking Iranian artists. One such group is Cultures of Resistance (CoR) an activist network using documentary and film as an outreach tool to promote peace and global justice.

“Tehran Ratz: Graffiti For a New Iran” takes a look at the works of two young Tehrani graffiti artists who challenge not only the ideologies of the Iranian government, but also question the broader understanding of issues such as peace and justice. While their work is “Iranian” in terms of using exclusively Iranian topics or cultural beliefs and figures, the universality of their painting is evident. This is a notable characteristic of the short film – it uses vivid images of graffiti to show the artists’ awareness of the social issues affecting their lives. In this case, images prove to be more powerful than words.

The film exposes the audience to complex topics that the artists cover, such as gender inequalities, injustice in the legal system, and even war and death. Thus, forcing the viewer to go back and watch it over and over, asking more and more questions and wondering how the youth of a distant culture could produce an art comprehensive for people of all backgrounds.