Painting Hope

For decades the political turmoil of Iran’s tumultuous history played out across the brick and mortar walls of its cities. Artists used the power of their brushes to create murals depicting weapons and violence. Some even portrayed images of Iranians maimed or killed in the Iran-Iraq war in a blatant attempt to instigate fear and garner support for the government. The murals would seemingly go up overnight and without any sort of permission from the government.

As recently as 2001, the Iranian government enlisted the mayor’s office to control which agencies are allowed to put murals up. Just prior to that, walls in the country began to bring a new message filled with hope and optimism. The newest murals to grace Iranian cityscapes are warm and fuzzy all over. Some portray scenes from nature, such as fluffy white clouds floating in a clear blue sky, while others are merely decorative designs that bring the drab brick walls to life.

However, there are still some wall murals installed by Iranian hardliners to drive home any message that Iranian authorities want its populace to embrace, such as women dressing modestly and donning the hijab. No matter which way you paint it, the less violent and in-your-face wall murals are a welcome change to Iranian streets.

Source: Middle East Online