Authoritarian Aesthetics

Since 1979, the Islamic Iranian government has actively invested in visual media such as cinema and photography with the aim to construct its distinct identity. At the same time, the state censorship imposed on artists has affected the process of art-making and limited the means of distribution severely.

Against the backdrop of this authoritarian hegemony, fundamental questions arise: Is aesthetics a social construct or the product of cognition that all humans share due to their biological traits? How are a society's aesthetic values internalized by individuals under the pressure of an authoritarian regime, and to what extent? How does this shape the products of artistic creation? And what does the aesthetics of resistance mean?

The filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof and the photographer Hannah Darabi, both born in Iran and now living in exile, discuss these questions as reflected by their own artistic practice. The conversation will take place in Farsi. Iante Roach will moderate the dialogue and interpret it into English.

A personal invitation is required to attend this event.

Die Teilnahme an dieser Veranstaltung ist nur mit einer persönlichen Einladung möglich.