Graffiti in Iran (IranVNC.com)

This is New York. This is Tehran. The similarities are uncanny.

Although many Iranian kids have never left Iran to see first hand the work of other graffiti artists, they emulate their work, even down to the language.

It's not a new art form. Inside Iran it has been steadily gaining popularity since the Islamic Revolution as a political and religious expression, and as a form of protest -- often against the United States.


But in recent years that trend seems to have subsided in favor of an urban or underground, anti-establishment culture -- which many young Iranians consider to be in vogue. Even in Tehran, graffiti is written in English and depicts American rap stars. This is how they connect to the outside world.

"They call these images 'graphics'. Some of the rap singers, we call them underground singers, come here and draw them."

Graffiti is an accepted form of urban art around the world.

In Rome, there is graffiti in the form of love poems chiseled on ancient ruins.

In New York it is typically found on subway cars and roadway underpasses.

More ominously, graffiti is often used by violent, criminal gangs to mark their 'turf.'
In Iran, there is less of a hostile tone.

Some like graffiti, others consider it distracting or inappropriate. "In my opinion, for us who come here to play soccer and exercise, it's not that good. The environment affects the children, most of them. The kids are playing soccer here - they wrote curses on the wall. It's not that interesting."

Graffiti in Iran is not different from those found in the West when it comes to icons, and the commonalities are quite surprising.

"Fifty- Cent. Fifty-Cent, a foreign American Singer."

Whether acceptable or not, whether legal or banned, graffiti appears to be yet another exhibition of the desire of young Iranians who want to connect to the rest of the world.

http://www.iranvnc.com/

English link:
http://iranvnc.com/en/home/

© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• graffiti
• iran
• iranvnc
• tehran
• uncanny
• 50
• cent
• news