Using art to raise awareness on Baha'i persecution
(Cross posted from BahaiRights.org)
In the light of Iran’s intense persecution of Baha’is, many Iranian Baha’is who were forced to flee the country have taken to exposing Iran’s heinous crimes and raising awareness on the suffering their friends and family face back home.
Shahriar Asdollah-Zadeh, a young Baha’i from New Zealand, has taken an innovative approach to achieve that aim: collaborative artwork, powered by social networking tools.
We conducted an interview with Shahriar, in which he speaks of the inspiration, mission and vision of his artwork.
Q. First, could you please provide us with a short introduction about yourself?
My name is Shahriar Asdollah-zadeh. I am a contemporary artist residing in New Zealand. In 2008 I focused on a year long project about Human Rights. That year also celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. I created a website called www.worldartcollective.org which has, for me, become a vehicle for raising awareness of Human Rights violations, injustices and persecution. I think now more than ever it is a very exciting time to be an artist and use the creative thought to better humanity. Artists can create awareness through contemporary art about the turbulent times we live in, the issues and problems that plague the world.
Q. Baha
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As Shahriar says, Iranian Bahá’í youth -the Iranian Bahá’í community itself- are inspiring. They teach us that unity is a powerful strength and, at the same time, the ultimate goal that we, as humanity, are moving to, the solution to our social issues as a humankind. The Iranian Bahá’í community comes demonstrating this fact since more than a century ago.
I also have to say that Shahriar’s genious is a powerful gift that God gave him and that he’s using wisely. Through it, he could unite people from many countries, people who even didn’t know about each others’ existence, and gave us the opportunity to be part of an art work and, at the same time, do something real and effective to promote human rights.
Now, thanks Shahriar’s efforts, in Argentina more people is aware of the persecutions against the Bahá’ís in Iran, and I can proudly say that I’m a little part of two of these six beautiful Shahriar’s artworks.
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