Raheleh Filsoofi

Constricted. Wanting to speak but barely uttering more than an eerie sound. 

Silenced, most women of the world are not allowed to express themselves fully, in a free way. Like diphtheria, which spreads through the air and through direct social contact, efforts to limit free speech begin to take hold from within. The initial installation was a metaphor for all forbidden voices around the world and throughout history. Women in the Middle East, in particular, struggle to make themselves heard, but with great difficulty as if stricken by this terrible disease. Is there no vaccination that could protect society from such a malady? Freedom of speech can only thrive in a healthy political environment.

My artistic conceptualization and process are a reflection of the time and space in which they occur and evolve with events and changing perspectives. As an artist I have to decide when a work is done. The original ideas explored in Diphtheria are even more relevant today as the world finds itself in the throes of conflicts over who can speak and who has rights. This newest iteration is a visual and auditory experience of the intensifying struggles of Iranians and a soundscape of their current social and political milieu. Diphtheria: Phase ii serves as document and testament of what was, what is and augurs the possibility of what the future may be.