Documenting Resistance: An Artist's Journey Through Iran's Uprising
Women behind the lens: ‘After state massacres, I began burning the prints as an act of mourning’
The Guardian
Image: The Guardian
Parisa Azadi, an Iranian-Canadian visual journalist, reflects on her experience witnessing the 2022 Iranian protests from Dubai. Through innovative photography techniques, she transforms digital protest footage into physical prints, capturing the essence of rebellion and mourning the violence faced by her compatriots. Her work embodies a powerful response to state repression.
- 01Parisa Azadi documents the Iranian protests of 2022 from Dubai, using innovative photography techniques.
- 02She captures the essence of rebellion by transforming digital protest footage into physical prints.
- 03Azadi began burning her prints as an act of mourning after state violence in January 2026.
- 04Her work reflects the urgency of testimony and the transformation of misogynistic insults into defiance.
- 05The project emphasizes the importance of bodily freedom and resistance across generations.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Parisa Azadi, an Iranian-Canadian visual journalist, witnessed the Iranian protests of September 2022 from Dubai, where she felt helpless due to her inability to return home. To document the uprising, she utilized a Fujifilm instax camera to capture frames from protest videos circulating on social media, turning ephemeral digital images into tangible prints. This process, rooted in her earlier work in Iran, transformed into a poignant response to state violence and censorship. One notable image depicts a young woman amidst a protest in Tehran, embodying defiance against misogyny. Following state massacres in January 2026, Azadi began burning her instax prints as an act of mourning, allowing the scars from the fire to echo the violence depicted in her work. This act was not about erasure but about conveying rage and grief, making her photography a powerful testament to resistance and transformation. Azadi's work speaks to the broader narrative of rebellion, emphasizing the importance of bodily freedom and the interconnectedness of public and private acts of defiance.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Azadi's work highlights the ongoing struggle for freedom and the personal impact of state violence on individuals in Iran, resonating with those affected by repression.
Advertisement
In-Article Ad
Reader Poll
How important is artistic expression in documenting social movements?
Connecting to poll...
Read the original article
Visit the source for the complete story.



