Escape from patriarchal colors

Dictatorship is a term used in historiography to define corruption, oppression, and autocracy. But can an individual alone become a dictator, or is dictatorship related to various factors within a land and its people living under a dictatorial system? Taher Nikkhah Abiyaneh explores this question in a thought-provoking interactive art performance. In these works, Nikkhah strives to demonstrate, by engaging the audience, where this idea truly originates. Does it stem solely from the desires and wishes of an individual, or is it produced by the culture and social interactions within a dictatorial society? The audience of this piece confronts the issue of mastership as one of the main reasons for the production of dictatorship. In this interactive performance, Nikkhah possesses a wide and long piece of fabric. The fabric is adorned with illustrations from Iranian art that are related to a Persian story. It's a beautiful tale of simultaneous marriages between a king and various princesses from different parts of the world to create global peace. But is this peace really what it seems? Nikkhah reminds us that hidden within this message of peace is a bitter hidden truth. In reality, the king, with positive intentions, makes a wrong move by marrying multiple women simultaneously. Clearly, in this story, entirely illogical support from a dictatorial perspective has been used to create world peace, and it clearly opens the way for dictatorial production, just like a soft and comfortable carpet. Nikkhah asks his audience to listen to this story, look at its visual points, and unravel the symbols of mastership hidden in the images printed on the fabric. These symbols signify cultural mistakes and deviations that have questioned human society. This performance serves as a warning and metaphor for us to free ourselves from the wrong attitudes that come from past eras of a deteriorating society. The artist says: Look at the diversity of colors in these images; these colors represent different races and cultures along with an important reminder for us: these issues and problems have a global nature. They are not problems confined to a specific group of people; rather, they are issues that we all must unite to confront. In this interactive art performance, you can sit on the ground and, with a little effort and determination, erase these symbols of mastership. It is a sign to display our will for change and progress. What is seen here is not just a matter of a few individuals; it is a global challenge that we can all overcome with effort and unity.