Chador (2010)

Chador provides a commentary on the 1979 Iranian referendum that prevented women from being in public spaces without a head scarf. To date, the law is in-force with harsh penalties for infringement, including fines, caning or imprisonment.

The text of the statute translates to “this vail is like a house, [space or tent] which allows the women to feel free when moving throughout the world. It is her private space”. Within this work, Jafari analyses the validity of this pseudo freedom through the creation of a tent made from chador material. This material is commonly used in the vails worn by Iranian women.

The still images below are from the film which displayed the tent in various locations throughout Sydney, Australia. The installation involved Jafari chanting softly inside her tent. Chador explores the effect of how the purported structure of freedom is perceived and received by the world.

Chador was created for the travelling Australian art prize Lilla in 2010.