Iranian artist based in Italy
Installazione: Le mie pietre sono aquiloni
MY STONES ARE KITES 2024
The majestic setting of the Scaliger Castle in Malcesine hosts a series of installations by Iranian artist Bahar Heidarzade (Tehran, 1981). The exhibition, curated by Marina Pizziolo and Romano Ravasio and organised by the Municipality of Malcesine, aims to stimulate reflection on the sadly topical issue of violence against women. Not to mourn the victims of yesterday, but to save the victims of tomorrow, with the extraordinary power of sharing.
Bahar Heidarzade was born in Iran. In order to be free, she had to leave her country: if she returned, she would be punished with imprisonment.
The exhibition is in continuity with the artist's research into the weight of memories, symbolically represented by stones. The stones are made by the artist from papier-mâché, using newspaper sheets containing disturbing news stories.
The heart of the exhibition is the large immersive installation in the Sala Labia of the Castello Scaligero. In the centre of the room, on the floor, a video portrays the artist lying down, crushed by an enormous stone. Dozens of stones are suspended above Heidarzade's body. Visitors can feel the mental weight of those stones being thrown, but stuck in the air. 'More hands throwing stones. More women victims of acts of violence,’ explains curator Marina Pizziolo. ‘We must learn to listen to the words of those women, before they become a cry. Only then can we stop those stones, thrown in the name of something we cannot call love. And keep them suspended, in flight. It is we, together, who can turn the stones into kites'.
In the castle's outdoor areas, on the other hand, a series of artistic interventions of conceptual suggestion are realised: a kind of golden thread that lights up certain parts of the castle, reminding visitors of the theme of the exhibition.
