Voices of Feathers, Voices of Daggers, Art Mur, Montreal, 2025

Text by Sara Trapara

Born and raised in post-revolutionary Iran, Mohadese Movahed is a contemporary artist whose work explores the psychological complexities of life under oppression. Currently based in Vancouver, Movahed addresses her experience of geographic displacement and diaspora through the series Voices of Feathers, Voices of Daggers, while also addressing how resistance and control, presence and erasure, and hope and despair shape lived experience. While the 1979 Islamic Revolution radically transformed all aspects of Iranian life, Movahed's work highlights how forms of resistance and protest survive despite totalitarian repression.

This series explores how the built environment is altered by memories and experiences of trauma, oppression, and violence. Movahed employs the metaphor of the wall to express the rigidity and inflexibility of authoritarian regimes: brick and concrete walls dominate the space of his paintings, accompanied by chain-link fences, boarded-up shops, and boarded-up windows. These structures visually convey how oppressive systems of power impose boundaries and control public and private spaces. Meanwhile, the wall surfaces are covered with graffiti with messages of peace, smiley faces, stickers, posters, and old photographs, illustrating the transformative potential of the wall as a site of collective expression and resistance.

The works encourage viewers to reflect on the intersections and dualities that continually redefine our understanding of place and identity. Although the paintings are largely devoid of human figures, the shadows of fragmented bodies are omnipresent. The persistence of these figures evokes a sense of both presence and erasure, symbolizing the ways in which oppressive regimes attempt to isolate individuals and silence their voices. Movahed weaves a speculative sense of place where despair and hope collide: flowers bloom in the asphalt, hedges overgrow street signs, and the evil eye symbol protects against negative energies. Ultimately, Movahed's paintings show how the voices of feathers challenge those of daggers, offering radical possibilities for hope and resurgence.