Curated by Mahoor Toosi
Opening 15th February 2019

The Stories of the Streets consists of four sets of works: To Tehran, Enghelab Azadi- Azadi Enghelab, High Heel and The Stories of the Streets. What is gathered in these works is not inaccurate macro narratives of the city, but they are personal experiences of the artist while she strolls in the city. This time another aspect of these outings are revealed: she is not a silent observer and does not simply bypass the incidents, she also does not let shame or other social barriers prevent her, infact she is a vigilant observer who registers the realities and by sharing her spontaneous and personal experiences with others, turns them to collective and interchangeable experiences. Each of these four sets of work are comprehensive under the Right of the City: sharing harassments in the streets, demanding rights from the city, magnifying deformed objects found in the street, and such like, are an attempt to de-normalize the problems in the city and to create a sense of belonging and participation in the life of the city.
Belonging to a city is realized by moving in it, and being present, and sensing serenity and appreciating suitable personal spaces. The right to the city is apprehended through suitable urban spaces and there is a direct connection between space and rights. The City, both in its physical and social threshold does not relay a sense of belonging to the citizens and proportionally is not suited to their participation in it, and this results in reduced participation, particularly with respect to neglecting the presence of women in urban planning and disregard for their right of the city.
The Stories of the City is about active presence in the city, a connection between the everyday life in personal sphere and the public one, and is an invitation to intervention by the citizens, all within the realm of a city where an artist contemplates her right to the city.
Mahoor Toosi