Metamorphosis of experiences – Iranian Women in Animation at Museum Arnhem
In the exhibition Iranian women in animation, currently on view at Museum Arnhem, animations made by Iranian women artists show us how the seemingly innocent and soft medium of animation, can showcase the harshness of the modern world. Meshkat Talebi visits the exhibition and is touched by how subtle and grotesque signs of pain are expressed in the works.
In the exhibition Iranian women in animation, currently on view at Museum Arnhem, animations made by Iranian women artists show us how the seemingly innocent and soft medium of animation, can showcase the harshness of the modern world. Meshkat Talebi visits the exhibition and is touched by how subtle and grotesque signs of pain are expressed in the works.
On a rainy day, I visit the exhibition Iranian women in animation, at Museum Arnhem. The show houses in the museum’s final hall, following another show arranged in the previous rooms. The atmosphere of the room is simple, minimal, and focused, with screens displaying animations accompanied by headphones. The exhibition, curated by Narjes Mohammadi and Nahid Malayeri, displays works of ten Iranian women artists. In the introduction notes I read that Mohammadi and Malayeri aim to challenge and expand the boundaries of animation, with a particular focus on female artists in the field. The diversity of techniques used in the animations and the varying years of production align well with this goal and the curators’ overall vision. Though each piece is unique in its approach, the animations share common themes and concepts that unify them within the group exhibition. Each work touches on social and cultural issues, reflecting the obstacles that women face in a patriarchal society like Iran, including gender stereotypes in fundamental institutions such as family and school.
Mahboobeh Kalaee’s mixed media animation The Fourth Wall (2021), begins with the story of a child trapped in the kitchen, where the parents are metaphorically represented as kitchen utensils. The mother, portrayed as a laundry machine, embodies household duties and the task of childbearing, while the father, depicted as a refrigerator, is the provider for the family’s needs. This metaphor questions societal stereotypes and the roles imposed on individuals, particularly the roles of individuals as the mother and father. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of the child, who has a speech impediment and is constantly exposed to family tensions, seeking solutions with a child’s innocent logic.
The impact of social environments, particularly the effects of war on people’s lives, is also powerfully evident in two other works: End of Summer (2022) by Tara Attarzadeh and That’s Mine (2015) by Maryam Kashkoolinia.
Attarzadeh’s animation End of Summer tells the story of a child whose jump rope breaks while playing, leading her to imagine herself as a bird flying over the city. However, this innocent fantasy soon crashes with the harsh reality of war. In the blink of an eye, the freedom and lightness of childhood imagination are transformed into a disaster. Birds in the sky transform into missiles; once symbols of freedom and peace, now twisted by the harshness of war. Throughout the animation delicate hints of this coming darkness are dropped, like the song Shabaneh by Farhad Mehrad playing in a car. The lyrics describe a city where a terrible event has occurred. The song mentions visual elements like narrow alleys, closed shops, dark houses, and broken arches to create a vivid image in the listener’s mind. This image isn’t tied to the present or the past but suggests a warlike event that could happen at any moment. By not following a specific timeline, the song highlights that destruction bridges past, present and future. The story of the animation also follows this unending disaster. When the missiles transform into birds, it’s as if the sky is forever occupied with war. The 2D digital style and monochrome colors add to this gnawing grim feeling, building up to the bleak reality of war.
Kashkoolinia’s That’s Mine also focuses on the aftermath of war and highlights its remaining effects through the image of a landmine, an enduring trace of the Iran-Iraq War: The second longest classic war in the 21st centuries that still claims victims through these untriggered mines. Kashkoolinia uses sand in the animation, a reference to the sandy burial spots of the mindes alongside the Iran-Iraq border. This technique, builds a sense of fear and anxiety because of its high contrasts.
The story is told through the eye of a landmine, one of thousands left behind. From the first moments, this point of view stirs questions in the audience’s mind. What exactly am I looking at? Is this an object or a person? Is it alive or not? And why does everything look crooked? These questions stay with the viewer until the last second, creating a tension that fits beautifully with the atmosphere of the story. Kashkoolinia avoids music or other elements that would add emotional weight, to create a distance from political issues and its emotional impacts. With this choice, the audience isn’t led to become sentimental for the victims, but instead becomes aware of the lasting impact of war.
The daily struggles that women face in a systematically oppressive society are shown in the two powerful animations: Beach Flag (2014) by Sarah Saidan and Our Uniform (2023) by Yeganeh Moghaddam. Both works shed light on how women navigate challenges that are deeply rooted in societal and institutional systems. These challenges, though seemingly small or ordinary, however reflect larger issues of repression and inequality.
Beach Flags by Sarah Saidan focuses on the restrictions placed on women’s sports in Iran. The story follows a women’s swimming team excluded from international competitions due to mandatory hijab regulations, forcing them to compete in categories unrelated to their training. It tells the story of two young girls competing to be allowed to participate in the international beach flag competition. Although both are under systematic repression by the government, one of the characters faces even more obstacles because of her social class and traditional family background. Along with the competition between the two, the story ultimately ends with one of them stepping aside to make the chance of participation possible for the other. An ending that has a message of friendship, solidarity and caring from a feminist perspective. Despite its simplicity, the story sheds light on women’s everyday struggles that are often ignored and rarely discussed in mainstream conversations. The animation not only critiques governmental restrictions but also the limitations imposed by traditional societal structures, such as wage inequality and forced marriages.
Our Uniform by Yeganeh Moghaddam, critiques the ideologies imposed by a totalitarian educational system. Using a blend of 2D digital and stop-motion techniques, Moghaddam focuses on a girls’ school uniform as a common object to link her personal memories with collective experiences and questions on the impact of ideological education. Rather than offering solutions, she highlights individual narratives with a dedicated sense of humor and investigates how they intertwine with broader collective memories of society.
In this exhibition, animation becomes a powerful tool for telling stories that address heavy and sensitive topics. It allows individual experiences to take shape visually and emotionally. These animations don’t just tell forgotten stories, but also create space for reflection. They invite the audience to engage with the weight of these narratives.
As a group exhibition, the narratives are diverse, yet the overall display gives a sense of continuity, creating a collective experience. Animation, as a medium, feels like the perfect match for an exhibition with multiple narrations. Its flexibility in length, style, and technique offers artists the space to explore complex and sensitive topics, making it easier for the audience to connect and reflect.
In a society where silence is often imposed and identities and stories are systematically erased, remembering and the act of imagination becomes an act of resistance. Remembering and imagining create a space to reclaim what has been hidden, dismissed, or considered insignificant. Animation, with its unique ability to convey emotion and depth, provides that space, allowing stories to emerge and resonate with audiences on both a personal and collective level. Iranian Women in Animation highlights the personal interpretations and stories of the artists without pushing a singular political message. However, in a patriarchal society, identifying as a woman makes even ordinary actions potentially political. This is where memory and even imagination ties into societal issues.
Iranian women in animation can be visited until the 5th of January at Museum Arnhem
Meshkat Talebi
is a visual artist working predominantly in photography and moving image
