Aidin Bagheri

De-sculpturization

de-sculpturization

We are not simply observers of this spectacle
but are ourselves a part of it
Kevin Lynch


I assume that all citizens have the potential right to invade and occupy the city, which can be actualized, in crises such as the Paris commune, with the aim of annihilating the Vendome column. Analyzing and pondering on what drives and with what coordinates caused the actions of the activists (consciously or unconsciously) is also included in the definition of this right since the origin of any change is based on general satisfaction. Therefore, I, like any other citizen of Tehran, through the habits of everyday life in the city, have encountered the vacuity of sculptures that the reason for their absence has seemed strange, unbelievable, and a bit jugglery among all the existing reality.

Many of the sculptures that were removed after the 1979 revolution and also in 2009, for many of us, were probably the center of familiarization against the unknown. the marked spots in our photo albums, remembrance of corners of the city (which is suffering from self-swallowing pain), brought to us without the slightest need to use a map or a street name, and time could ignore their imperfections (Including how much they were gifted with fine art or they don’t, their success in inspiring the audience with the feeling of belonging or their failure, whether they were considered against the superior ideology or not...).

with all this, walking the path of reality and reviewing the ifs, wouldn’t necessarily lead to an ideal result. Through my research and conversations with the creators of the sculptures and also the responsible administrators, more than before, I found myself in a world of the unknown. I knew that some of the vanished sculptures were a bit broken or hurt, but this cannot be applied to all. In the end, it seems that we, like Apollonius of Tyana, should leave an empty page for the security of the names and signs and… to prevent and immune them from the removing in the thought of the public (and even unclear locations).