THE IMPROVISATION WHICH HAS DONE VERY MUCH

I had to go away” she said, and took a sip of her coffee. “Those were the times of war between Iran and Iraq. Our school’s headmaster wanted to keep us for war propaganda but my friends and I were against war. The school had closed. I couldn’t finish my education and had to go away” said Iranian activist, actress, and director Mithra Zahedi. 

Mithra Zahedi’s performance during the wrapping of Reichstag with giant curtains by Cristo and Jean-Claude in 1995
Photo by Gökcen Tuncer

When she immigrated to Germany in 1985 , it took Zahedi two years to have a permanent residence status as a political asylum. “It was very difficult to wait. You are a young actress, coming from a small village to a culture which you don’t know and have no rights to do anything.” Zahedi said, pausing for a few seconds before continuing with a smile, “But I have done very much.”

CAN ACTIVIST ART TURN INTO PROPAGANDA?

The answer of this question is dependent on how the propaganda is defined.

“Propaganda is a word which usually contains negative connotations because generally, it is seen as a tool to disseminate missing or false information among people. Encyclopedia Britannica describes propaganda as a systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs attitudes, or actions. Since “manipulation” is the reminiscent of an unfavorable term, explaining propaganda with the word manipulation would normally cause a negative understanding.