Iranians who don't know about the revolution
A female artist
A collection of revolutionary books collected in secret.

Hanna Darabi (b. 1981), an Iranian-born, Paris-based artist, has collected a visual catalogue of various “revolutionary books.” The book is particularly about books published in the period from 1979 to 1983, when freedom of speech was permitted in Iran, from the end of the Shah’s regime to the beginning of the Islamic regime.For a momentWe have collected books published about the Iranian Revolution. They range from propaganda photobooks inciting the continuation of the revolution to illegal underground publications known as "white covers" (for example, political books and foreign novels), and also include many self-published works such as zines that were born out of the urgency of wanting to get the message out as quickly as possible.

The books in this collection blend pop and dark extremes, with covers that evoke the calligraphy of Mexican murals and street culture, but the contents are far more tragic than you would expect, including some brutal war photos that will make you want to look away.

Daravi, who was born in Tehran after the revolution, wanted to experience the revolution with her own eyes, not a glossed-over view of history.In TehranI frequented the area where there were many bookstores, and little by little I picked up revolutionary books.Bookstore districtThe name of the area where the book is located is the title of this book."Enghelab Street"It has become.

The film is divided into three sections. The first section conveys the unique aesthetic sense and visual trends of Iran.Photo CollectionThe second part focuses on political propaganda, with various partisan books providing hastily compiled records, while the third part unfolds what Dharavi calls "Reconstructions": everyday objects, documents, family photographs, audiovisual images, postcards, etc.

The publication was prompted by the exhibition of the same name, Hannah Darabi, Enghelab Street, A Revolution through Books: Iran 1979–1983, which was held at LE BAL in Paris from January 9 to February 11, 2019, and was supported by grants from the French National Center for Art and Design (CNAP) and the European Research Centre (ERC).


Text by Osamu Kushida