University Thesis: Propaganda Posters

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01. TAKHTI: Takhti did not kill himself! and neither should you, 100*70 cm, 2024

No one seems interested in street art and graffiti unless they've come across Shepard Fairy's famous posters. These posters and stickers have become one of the world's main icons in street art through repetitive motifs over the past decades, with the image on these posters belonging to no one but André the Giant, the legendary French wrestler. I've always had it in mind to create an Iranian version of this. Takhti didn't need to be turned into an icon by any artist because he was already a legend during his lifetime and was considered a symbol of bravery. While scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon an image of Takhti with the same text designed against suicide. These two ideas came together simultaneously, resulting in making of this poster.

02. POLLUTION: Revolution against air pollution, 100*70 cm, 2024

This poster is a remake of an old poster that was created about 10 years ago by one of my friends who was a street artist; Therefore, I included his artistic name, OB5CENE, in the poster. Back then, I was a fifteen-year-old kid, and my collaboration with him in pasting these posters up was one of my earliest encounters with street art, especially propaganda posters. In recreating this piece, I tried to come up with better colors and a slogan for the poster while also simplifying its main elements.

03. REALITY: Nobody cares about reality anymore, 100*70 cm, 2024

It is likely that today, for the first time in history, the alternative realities that surround us sometimes matter more than the tangible reality itself. This poster was initially designed without a background, but later I added a background to emphasize the contrast between the real and the fabeld world. The slogan used on the poster is directly taken from one of my favorite films called "Knight of Cups" directed by Terrence Malick.

04. 1≠1: One is not equal to one yet, 100*70 cm, 2024

Khosrow Golsorkhi was an Iranian Marxist poet who was executed in 1974. He has a famous poem that has been turned into a proverb in Persian language. This poster is a commemoration for this revolutionary poet, with the slogan used on it actually being a line from his own poetry. Among the available pictures of him, I used this one from his time of condemnation for the design.

05. PROPAGANDA: Protect yourself against official propaganda, 100*70 cm, 2024

Today, unlike decades ago and even earlier, not every book that comes into our hands necessarily holds any value to be read. Many publications and texts around us may be constituted only to expose us to the dominant ideology. Therefore, protecting oneself against the propaganda of the ruling class that aims to achieve hegemony today is not a physical matter like vis a vis war per se. It is in fact a cultural one.

06. FAKE IT, FAKE IT: Do not make it!, 100*70 cm, 2024

The foundation of today's businesses relies more on public appearances and false popularity based on quantity of virtual approvals. This theme, explored in many science fiction films, is the main focus of this poster. The used slogan, which is actually a satirical twist on the English proverb “make it make it, do not fake it”, is inspired by a film called "Trash Humpers" directed by Harmony Korine. This technique of twisting the original slogan is considered one of the primary methods of propaganda in the previous century.

07. UNITE: Workers of the world, Unite!, 100*70 cm, 2024

In all twenty posters of this collection, designed based on the Soviet hegemonic approaches in poster medium, perhaps this poster can be considered more Soviet than the others, both in form and in its content attributed to the Soviet Union. The main reason for this claim is nothing but a slogan used on the flag at the bottom of this poster. It is a direct quote from one of Lenin's most famous statements, which has been chosen as the slogan of this poster.

08. STOP! :Death penalty is a legal murder, 100*70 cm, 2024

Execution has been the primary method for purification and physical elimination of individuals in totalitarian regimes from the Soviet Union to the present day. In the film "A Short Film About Killing," directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, the Polish director explicitly addresses this issue. Reflecting on the concept of this film, which I watched several years ago, led to the creation of this poster and the main idea behind its slogan. The slogan expresses that the only thing that distinguishes execution from murder is its legality, not any ethical or moral necessity.

09. EAT THE RICH: When the poor has nothing more to eat, They will eat the rich, 100*70 cm, 2024

"Eat the rich" is a political slogan associated with anti-capitalism and left-wing politics, as well as sometimes anarchist violent extremism. It may variously be used as a metaphor for class conflict or a demand for wealth redistribution. The phrase is commonly attributed to the political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from a quote first popularized during the French Revolution: "When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich." Initially, the phrase was a criticism of the French nobility, but it was later popularized in France as a response to the failures of the French Revolution, which perpetuated poverty in the country.

10. GAZA: Peace is the Whiteman's word, Liberation is ours, 100*70 cm, 2024

This poster was designed at a time when the events within Palestine were not so harsh. What is happening in Gaza today is without a doubt a genocide. Thousands of children under the age of ten have lost their lives, homes have been destroyed, and people have been displaced. The slogan used in this poster is directly taken from a banner at demonstrations in Palestine. Additionally, the initial version of this poster was designed without a background, but after final review, it was decided to add the separation wall between Israel and Palestine as the background to this poster.

11. PROTECT: Protect Trans People!, 100*70 cm, 2024

The design approach in this poster was contrary to my usual design process. I always thought about the idea of distinguishing between what a person sees in the mirror and what actually exists. In the initial sketches, I tried to explore the concept of censorship, especially self-censorship, with this idea, but gradually, I was able to address this issue by changing the design. We all know that sexual minorities in traditional and religious countries are at great risk, and raising awareness and education in this area is an important issue.

12. 176+1: We are all nothing but numbers, 100*70 cm, 2024

In all natural, unnatural, and semi-natural disasters, as well as human errors and intentional acts, what remains of us humans is a number. Each number is a human, and each human is a precious life.

13. ENOUGH!: Smash the Racism, let the Afghans live!, 100*70 cm, 2024

I was born and raised in the city of Mashhad, a place where many Afghans live and work due to its closeness to Afghanistan borders. In recent years, I have never felt that Iranians target others, especially Afghans, with racist attacks. Perhaps it's the influence of living in another city. I don't know. But what I do know is that a person who migrates, whether legally or illegally, has a reason for doing so, and that reason is not for leisure or sightseeing, but out of necessity. This poster stands against hidden racism towards migrants and refugees, especially in support of Afghans and people from the Middle East.

14. ABOLISH THE MONARCHY: Power to the People, 100*70 cm, 2024

Sometimes in third-world countries, we hear glamorous speeches defending monarchy or the previous monarchy system, stating that developed countries like Sweden and others are governed by a monarchy system, and we should return to the monarchy system as well. Ignorant of the fact that in these countries, the transition to democracy has gradually reduced the power of the monarchy, and even today, this trend continues towards its abolition. It is a mistake to misunderstand in the transition to democracy and consider our backwardness or their progressiveness as a result of good or bad monarchy. Good monarchy is an illusion for a better patriarch, while we do not need one. This poster is designed with famous and universal democratic slogans, and two crowns, one on the head of the working class and the other in their hand, symbolically referring to the decline and fall of the monarchy.

15. OBEY THE RULES: Down with the Ordinary, 100*70 cm, 2024

The self-alienation of modern humans, or as figures like Hannah Arendt referred to it as "Selflessness" increases with the dominance of capitalism and governments. This poster, by referring to the intellectual sterility of today's humans, sees their hands tied in opening the noose around their necks. Even with mass surveillance and universal control by cameras, the poster takes on an Orwellian aspect and humans, out of the fear of being seen and identified which leads them to not taking any action. The slogan used in this poster is inspired by a Persian graffiti.

16. I AM THE MEDIA: The Revolution Will not be Televised, 100*70 cm, 2024

Multiple sketches were made for this poster before coming up with this image. The main idea of this poster was inspired by a lyrics from the song "Dashte Parvaneha" (The Field of Butterflies) by Ali Sorena, a renowned Iranian rapper). The text directly uses the phrase "I am the media" [رسانه منم] This sentence, as the slogan of an anti-mainstream media propaganda poster, was so powerful in my mind that I spent a long time searching and designing for a strong and impactful image. The slogan at the top of the poster also refers to the rap track of the same name by Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1971, which influenced many rappers after him.

17. OBEDIANT WORKERS: Eat Sleep Die, 100*70 cm, 2024

If I were to mention sources of inspiration for this poster, I would have to refer to many things. The recent album by Bahram Nouraei, a famous Iranian rapper, titled "Khodha," is one of them. The album is very thematic and powerful, addressing the issue of becoming/being a pig in more than 10 tracks, metaphorically referring to human life of becoming self-alienated. Especially in the track "Ayneh" (Mirror), the chorus of this song uses a metaphor where the phrase "Be a pig and live" [خوک باش و زندگی کن] is repeated in the language of the pig, aiming clearly to persuade subordinates and invite others to this contagious lifestyle.

At the other hand the first visual segment of this poster was inspired by a character with a pig's head and wearing a suit in the film "Pigsty" (1969) by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Although I hadn't seen this film yet, just seeing this image was so influential that inspired me. In much proletarian and anti-capitalist literature, bankers and capitalists are depicted as pigs. But who in today's society isn't looking forward to become a capitalist? In fact, this has become the primary goal of everyone or a significant part of societies.

In the end a culmination of these ideas and several visual studies led to this poster, and in the slogan section at the bottom of the poster, the name of a film with exactly the same title, "Eat Sleep Die," directed by Swedish director Gabriela Pichler, was chosen, which was not directly related to the aforementioned concepts: Rasa, a factory worker, lives with her ill father in a small town. However, when the factory lays her off during a downsizing cycle, she struggles to find a job while looking after her father.

18. PROLETARIAT: When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left, 100*70 cm, 2024

The slogan used in this poster has been heard or read by many of us countless times. However, by considering the painting held by the main character, I aimed to convey a protest and a different concept from what this sentence previously conveyed. In this regard, several different sketches and various proletarian characters were designed to promote rights demanding. However, in the end, I decided to feature only one character on the poster. Perhaps in future collections, I will use the designed images.

19. FUTURE HEROES: Friend Don't Let Friends Become Cops, 100*70 cm, 2024

The police have always been portrayed as role models for children, and the sale of children's police clothing indicates this. However, it seems that it has been a long time since we needed to reconsider this issue and the heroes we introduce to our children. The writing on the car refers to the murder of George Floyd in America by the police. In fact, this poster is not specifically related to a particular event, and efforts have been made to largely focus on the details of the image to avoid deviating from its original and general meaning.

20. BUY MORE, BE HAPPY: Work, Buy, Consume, Die, 100*70 cm, 2024

Consumerism is one of the main fruits of capitalism. In fact, it's a fruit that contributes to the survival of this system. Many modern systems are designed based on the rampant consumption of the audience in branding, and they have opened a special account for it. The latest poster in the first volume of this collection addresses this issue with a satirical tone, and the slogan at the top of the poster also refers to this matter.