The Power of the Powerless

The title of the installation has received its name from the book The power of the Powerless by Vaclav Havel. The Power of the Powerless (October 1978) was originally written (“quickly,” said Havel later) as a discussion piece for a planned joint PolishCzechoslovak volume of essays on the subject of freedom and power.

Between October 2022 and February 10th, 2023, pictures of an Iranian man in an emaciated condition were shared many times on social media. The images presented a man holding three books in his hands, with the covers of the books facing the camera. These pictures of him were published after months of hunger strike in prison. “The Power of the Powerless”, “Tyranny”, “The Narrow Corridor”: a message that has been crafted by putting together the titles of three books. It’s as if he wrote a sentence with them: “The power of the powerless against tyranny is the narrow path to freedom.”

Farhad Meysami is an Iranian physician, translator, author and civil activist, and this was not his first time going on a hunger strike to protest against the violation of others’ rights. Meysami was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison on July 31st, 2018, by Iranian security forces because he was carrying pin-back buttons with the message “I do not agree with the compulsory hijab.”

What affected Zaghi more than anything else was Meysami’s dedication to non-violence and to protesting through civil disobedience in the face of such an overwhelming violent force.

Farhad Meysami holds up 3 books in Persian: “The Power of Powerless People”, “On Tyranny”, “The Narrow Corridor” at Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, Iran. Source: Twitter

About the artist:

Azadeh E. Zaghi is a Gothenburg-based artist. Born in Tehran, Iran in 1981, she has been active in the Swedish art scene since 2008. In her prolific career, she has participated in a large variety of artistic and educational projects across Sweden, with a strong focus on issues of representation, democracy, accessibility, inclusion, and pedagogy. She is currently a board member of KMK (Konstnärs Mammas Kollektiv) and has served as artistic director for Kulturstråket Bergsjön and board member of both Konstepidemin and the ICIA – Institute for Contemporary Ideas and Art.

WWF

Notable exhibitions include: POM! POM!, Blåstället Konsthall , (2023)

Living in World War III, Konstepidemin (2022)

CrossWorlds, 3:e Våningen (2019), The Times it Takes, Skånes Konstförening (2019), Galleri Box (2019), Walls Re-Visited, Re-Edited, Gallery

Konstepidemin (2018), Keys of Heaven, ICIA Konsthall (2016), Economy, Gallery 54 (2016), Shame: An Evening with Performance, KNIPSU (Bergen, 2014).