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How can clothing be an act of resistance when women’s bodies are controlled? And how can fashion express freedom when dressing is restricted? In Iran, women have long resisted hijab laws and used clothing and fashion as a form of resistance.
In her keynote speech, Iranian fashion designer Farnaz Abdoli discusses the forms of women’s resistance, the persecution and imprisonment she has faced, and her own artistic journey into exile: first to Turkey and later to Artists at Risk residency in Munich, Germany.
Following her talk, Abdoli will discuss with Artists at Risk founders Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen how fashion can serve as a form of expression, resistance, and identity among oppression and pressure in a country where wearing hijab is monitored using drones and smartphone apps.
The programme is in English. You can watch the programme at the festival’s Speaker’s Stage at Bio Rex or via livestream on the festival’s website.
After the programme, the speakers will be available to meet in the Foyer, next to the Speaker’s Stage.
Farnaz Abdoli
Farnaz Abdoli is a multidisciplinary Iranian fashion designer and the founder of the POOSH-e MA clothing brand. She is one of the leading voices in contemporary Iranian fashion and has played a key role in shaping women’s street fashion in Iran. Her bold work has repeatedly brought her into conflict with the authorities, leading even to a prison sentence.
When they try to silence women by controlling our bodies, even a dress becomes an act of resistance. – Farnaz Abdoli
Marita Muukkonen
Marita Muukkonen has worked at the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art (NIFCA), Frame – Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Arts Council of Finland, among others. She has curated numerous international exhibitions, seminars, and events, and has published articles.
Ivor Stodolsky
Ivor Stodolsky is an international curator and theorist who has curated numerous international exhibitions, seminars, and events, and published articles. He has worked at the Aleksanteri Institute and Project Syndicate, an international news service, among other places.
