Book launch: 8 March 2025, 17:00—19:00 / Framer Framed
We are excited to present Monument Zero, a new publication initiated and co-authored by visual artist Katayoon Barzegar. Monument Zero features contributions by artists and filmmakers Meshkat Talebi, and Pegah Pasalar, and researchers Shirin Karimi and Elaheh Soroushnia. Published by Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons and edited by Niloufar Nematollahi and Jose Rosales, Monument Zero makes accessible scarce materials that remain from the International Women’s Day 1979 in Iran while simultaneously reckoning with the historical erasure of these protests.
In Iran, 8 March 1979 was the start of a six-day nation-wide protest wherein thousands of women marched through the streets of Tehran, as well as other major Iranian cities such as Abadan, Tabriz, Sanandaj, and Isfahan. These six days marked the first time women organized en masse against the mandatory use of hijab, in particular, and the Islamic Republic, in general. Equally significant is the fact that only recently the scale and political significance of these protests became known beyond those who participated in them. Taking its title from the short documentary Iranian Women’s Liberation Movement, Year Zero (1979), the book Monument Zero thus emerged from the twofold desire to shed light on the 1979 International Women’s Day protests and to reflect on the rather complex mechanisms that led to their historical obfuscation.
Join us at Framer Framed in Amsterdam on Saturday, 8 March 2025, from 17:00–19:00 to celebrate the launch of Monument Zero. The publication is presented simultaneously to Katayoon’s exhibition opening. This exhibition features an audio-visual installation that consists of a stone sculpture by Katayoon and a collaborative video piece. This video is an ongoing filmic collaboration between Katayoon, Pegah, and Behshad. On the 46th anniversary of the biggest International Women’s Day march in Iran, the exhibition opening and book launch features a screening of the documentary Year Zero (1979) alongside a talk by one of its makers, Claudine Mulard, and a panel discussion with Katayoon, Behshad, and Niloufar, moderated by Jill Toh.
Additional program details can be found on the website of Framer Framed. Besides the launch at Framer Framed, a book presentation event at our office gallery, and a series of book launches takes place in the Netherlands as well as other locations. Stay tuned for more updates.
Copies of Monument Zero are available for purchase at the launch. Information on how to order individual copies of the books follows in March.
This publication is supported by Mondriaan Fund and het Cultuurfonds.
Contributors for Monument Zero are Katayoon Barzegar, Niloufar Nematollahi, Jose Rosales, Pegah Pasalar, Elaheh Soroushnia, Shirin Karimi, Taraneh Haeri, Claudine Mulard, Sophie Keir and Meshkat Talebi. Design by Francisco Baquerizo Racines and Linus Bonduelle.
Image description: Sensorial Remembering, Meshkat Talebi’s contribution for Monument Zero.
