DIARIES FROM A DISTANCE
Diaries from a Distance, 2017
Installation: Outdoor mural, wall drawing, 700 x 210 cm.
Installation view: Rosenkrantz gate, Oslo
Photo credit: Vibeke Christensen
Diaries from a Distance is a public artwork, a mural drawing executed in Oslo as part of Qaradaki’s ongoing project, which problematizes notions of democracy and the freedom of speech. The combination of image and text is Qaradaki’s artistic interpretation of his continuous dialogue with the Kurdish journalist and former political prisoner Adnan Hassanpour. Because of Hassanpour’s journalistic activism, he was sentenced to death in 2007. After having served 10 years in an Iranian prison, constantly fighting for justice, he was finally released in January of 2017. As a free citizen, Hassanpour has the opportunity to escape the country, but he chose to remain in Iranian Kurdistan in order to fight for democracy. This stands in contrast to Qaradaki, who many years ago lost his hope for change towards democracy in Iraq and fled the country in 1997. While Hassanpour risks getting arrested again on the grounds of his voiced opinions in Iran, Qaradaki’s new life in Norway – despite the initial bureaucratic and cultural difficulties – is significantly different from Hassanpour’s.
Diaries from a Distance, 2017
Installation: Outdoor mural, wall drawing, 700 x 210 cm.
Installation view: Rosenkrantz gate, Oslo
Photo credit: Vibeke Christensen
Diaries from a Distance is a public artwork, a mural drawing executed in Oslo as part of Qaradaki’s ongoing project, which problematizes notions of democracy and the freedom of speech. The combination of image and text is Qaradaki’s artistic interpretation of his continuous dialogue with the Kurdish journalist and former political prisoner Adnan Hassanpour. Because of Hassanpour’s journalistic activism, he was sentenced to death in 2007. After having served 10 years in an Iranian prison, constantly fighting for justice, he was finally released in January of 2017. As a free citizen, Hassanpour has the opportunity to escape the country, but he chose to remain in Iranian Kurdistan in order to fight for democracy. This stands in contrast to Qaradaki, who many years ago lost his hope for change towards democracy in Iraq and fled the country in 1997. While Hassanpour risks getting arrested again on the grounds of his voiced opinions in Iran, Qaradaki’s new life in Norway – despite the initial bureaucratic and cultural difficulties – is significantly different from Hassanpour’s.
