Women Must Be Beautiful, Women Must Be Hidden

Performance France 2017 Persian/English subtitles 0:13:10

The compulsory hijab is one of the most important symbols representing the lack of freedom in Iran, nowadays.
Every year, thousands of women are arrested and imprisoned for not respecting the law on the wearing of the veil.

Since the Islamic regime was established in 1979, they have lost many of their rights, such as the right to divorce, custody of their children, abortion and even work or travel without permission.

Parya Vatankhah is an Iranian artist, living and working in Paris. She has a multidisciplinary artistic practice. Her works address the complexity of self-construction and knowing one’s own identity, when the violence and suffering caused by political conflicts reach the intimate sphere. The body, both subject and object, is omnipresent in her work to allow her to convey strong and provocative messages. Her art is shown internationally in solo and group exhibitions. She is currently preparing a thesis on the representation of the body in engaged art. She is a lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Paris 8.


Parya Vatankhah est une artiste plasticienne iranienne, vivant et travaillant à Paris. Sa pratique artistique est pluridisciplinaire. Ses œuvres abordent la complexité à se construire et à connaître sa propre identité, quand la violence et la souffrance causées par les conflits politiques atteignent l’intime. Le corps, à la fois sujet et objet, est omniprésent dans son travail pour lui permettre de passer des messages forts et provocateurs. Son art est exposé à l’international dans le cadre d’expositions individuelles et collectives. Elle prépare actuellement une thèse dont le sujet est la représentation du corps dans l’art engagé. Elle est chargée de cours, au département d’Arts plastiques de l’université Paris 8.