Monday, November 28, 2022

Former US Secretary Of State And NY Senator Hillary Clinton Visited Roosevelt Island FDR Four Freedoms Park Today To Support Opening Of Eyes On Iran, Woman Life Freedom Art Exhibit

This morning, former United States Secretary Of State and NY Senator Hillary Clinton visited Roosevelt Island's

FDR Four Freedoms Park, across the East River from the United Nations,

to support the opening of

 Eyes On Iran, Woman Life Freedom art exhibition.

Here's video what Ms Clinton had to say

 as well as the full program of speakers.

According to a November 28 press release from Vital Voices and For Freedoms:

Iranian artists Sheida Soleimani, Aphrodite Désirée Navab, Z, Icy and Sot, Shirin Neshat, Mahvash Mostala, Sepideh Mehraban, and Shirin Towfiq, alongside artists Hank Willis Thomas and JR, activate New York’s FDR Four Freedoms State Park with a provocative multi-day and multi-media art installation facing the United Nations entitled Eyes on Iran. 

Timed for the U.N. Women’s initiative, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the arresting site-specific installations are focused on the power of collective sight, with eyes facing the UN and signifying the world’s eyes on Iran. The large-scale artworks will be unveiled on November 28th. ‘Eyes in the Sky’ flying billboards featuring artworks by Hank Willis Thomas and Mahvash will fly on 12/3 in NYC and in Miami on 11/28 and 11/30. In addition, an interactive installation by artist JR will take place on December 4th at FDR Four Freedoms State Park. Eyes on Iran aims to amplify the mission of Woman, Life, Freedom, a campaign demanding that the Islamic Republic of Iran is removed from the Commission on the Status of Women... 

‘’We are calling on the world to take more action, starting at the United Nations. We must remove Iran from the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women. The fact that Iran is a member is a bitter irony,” says Clinton. “What we are seeing is a revolution led by young women who are just not willing to live with the loss of freedom being imposed upon them.” November 28th, which marks the activation at FDR Four Freedoms State Park, is also the anniversary of the 1943 Tehran Conference where Allied leaders, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met in Tehran to coordinate the Allied military strategy and also significantly stated a shared desire for the maintenance of the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Iran. Today, Woman, Life, Freedom shares a similar call for human rights for the women and people of Iran...

 “The world’s eyes have been focused on the courage of Iranian citizens in their quest for freedom, in the face of increasingly grave danger,” states human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam Mackay. “The Islamic Republic has censored them and attempted to blind the world to the potential of this movement. Eyes on Iran is our response to their call for a free Iran. The world must keep our eyes on the brave citizens of Iran and open to the possibility of justice. We must keep our eyes on the UN in our call to remove the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women in the face of their brutal repression.”

This activation is a partnership between artist collective For Freedoms, a coalition of Iranian women leaders and Vital Voices Global Partnership, a non-profit elevating women leaders. As we go into the third month of worldwide protests launched and led by Iranian women and girls after the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini, more than 300 protesters have reportedly died and nearly 15,000 have been jailed, while reports of extreme punishments and harsh crackdowns against protestors by Iranian authorities have flooded international headlines.

“When we say that we must keep our “Eyes on Iran,” we mean that what is happening deserves not only our attention but our vision. In solidarity with the courageous Iranians who are risking their lives to express their human rights, many artists throughout the diaspora and beyond are bringing our vision to bear to ensure international audiences and institutions remain aware of what is happening in Iran, in their eyes and in their hearts, and feel moved to respond.” - Shirin Neshat...

... This effort strives to combine the power of public advocacy and public art as a means of movement building:

Participating artists Icy and Sot add that, “No words can describe the violence people in Iran are going through but the love for freedom has defeated fear. Their courage and resistance is outstanding and inspiring the world. Winning is the only option and it's around the corner.”

Members of the public are invited to see the installation online or in person. Additional artists are featured in an online gallery featuring Emily Elise, Mahdis Nikou, Priscillia Kounkou Hoveydam, Ernesto Yerena Hourdad, Golnar Adili, and additional Anonymous Artists.

New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park reminds us that the human freedoms voiced by President Roosevelt in 1941 remain vital and relevant today. We are proud to host the “Eyes on Iran” public art installation at the park, and help draw attention to the continued struggle for equal rights across the globe.”...

Take a walk to see the Eyes On Iran, Woman Life Freedom exhibit at the Roosevelt Island FDR Four Freedoms Park.

0 comments :