Woman Life Freedom

Public Art Intervention premiered at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in January 2023

An art exhibition titled “Woman Life Freedom” was projected onto the façade of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California from January 26 through 28, 2023, from 6 - 10 p.m. nightly. The exhibition featured 30 artworks organized by ArtRise Collective in collaboration with MOZAIK Philanthropy.

Since September 2022, women have been leading peaceful civil rights’ protests movement across Iran. It is a popular uprising calling for an end to gender apartheid and discrimination that cuts across class, religion, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, and generations. Protests are taking place in large urban centers and small rural villages across Iran, and have garnered the support of global diaspora populations. This is a movement that centers Iranian women, their basic right to self-determination and their dignity—thus more broadly human dignity. Its message is clear: Woman, Life, Freedom. The movement’s slogan, chanted at the funeral of Jina Mahsa Amini in the province of Kurdistan, is drawn from the Kurdish women’s freedom movement. As a gesture of solidarity, artists in the exhibition have created artworks reflecting the movement’s central, intersectional message of Woman, Life, Freedom.

In collaboration with Mozaik Philanthropy, through a global open call, a powerfully resonant selection of artworks made within Iran and across its borders within the first 90 days of this women-lead revolution was curated by ArtRise Collective’s organizational committee through a blind review process. Some additional artworks were commissioned to reflect the diversity of the movement. Given that many of the exhibited artists reside in Iran, in consideration of significant risks involved for those who support the protest movement, all of the art are presented anonymously. The final curated exhibition features 30 artworks by various artist selected for this public art project.

Art Rise Collective’s organizational committee includes Mahsa Hakimi (art attorney, activist and San Francisco Art Commissioner), Neda Nobari (justice advocate and chair of San Francisco State University Foundation Board), Keely Badger (Executive Director, Mozaik Philanthropy), and Dr. Shiva Balaghi (cultural historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara).

This exhibition was made possible through generous support of MOZAIK Philanthropy. Its premiere presentation in San Francisco was made possible with additional support through the partnership of the Asian Art Museum.