2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
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print this pageErasure
Friday, October 10 - 11:00AM to 11:45AM
IPE Building
In Erasure, artist and activist Fatemeh Fani confronts the violence and trauma inflicted on Iranian women through the compulsory hijab. Beginning with her earliest memories—when, at six years old, a black cloth was placed over her head on her first day of kindergarten—Fani explores how identity, freedom, and even life itself can be endangered by a strand of visible hair.
Drawing from personal archival photographs taken for ID cards from ages six to twenty-nine, Fani transforms these imposed images of silence into works of resistance. Through sewing, embroidery, and alteration, she reclaims her story, turning each stitch into a declaration of survival and defiance. The project expands through self-portraits and two-channel video works, visualizing erasure, trauma, and resilience.
By asking, How can a simple object—a scarf—lose its primary function and become a weapon of control, violence, and oppression?, Fani invites audiences to confront the harsh realities of systemic discrimination while considering the power of art to reclaim stolen identity and voice.
This presentation bridges research, personal testimony, and lens-based practice to illuminate how art can expose injustice and imagine freedom. At its heart is a clear message: Iranian women deserve the right to speak, to exist, and to be seen.
speaker
Fatmeh Fani
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