Key Points
- Having fled persecution in Iran, Ali Tahayori explores themes of displacement and LGBTQIA+ identity through art that combines fractured mirrors, text and imagery.
- His recent exhibition confronts the reality of ‘honour killings’ in Iran, focusing on the 2021 murder of a young gay man.
- Despite his exile, Tahayori dreams of showcasing his art in his homeland.
He had previously confided in his friends and partner about threats from family members, expressing his intention to emigrate to Turkey as a first step before seeking asylum in Europe.
Alireza Fazeli Monfared. Credit: Instagram/alireza_locked
Ali Tahayori, an Australian-Iranian artist, said he was deeply affected when he learned about Monfared’s killing.
“The work consists of a series of photographs and a video installation depicting a traditional grief ceremony in various stages, performed by me,” Tahayori said.
Ali Tahayori’s art draws on traditional Iranian mirror work (aine-kari). Credit: Shelly Xue
Through his artworks, he said he hoped to bring attention to the plight of LGBTIQA+ people in Iran, using Monfared’s story as a call to action.
“The lack of justice for his killers is a constant source of frustration and anger,” he said.
‘Living a lie’
The war ended around the time he turned eight, but its shadow loomed large.
I always felt ashamed, living a lie that hid my true self.
Ali Tahayori
A couple of years into his degree, a classmate’s suggestion to pick up a camera awakened his artistic desire.
Ali Tahayori is an artist based in Sydney. Credit: SBS Persian
Tahayori transformed a space in his home into a darkroom and began exploring photograpy.
Growing up, I felt increasingly different, even though I didn’t yet have the word ‘gay’ in my vocabulary. I yearned for a label that could help me understand and express what I was going through, believing it would bring clarity and a feeling of belonging.
Ali Tahayori
He joined in the chats until one member, seizing a rare moment when their parents were out, invited the others to their house for a party, Tahayori recalled.
Tahayori said the incident left a “devastating” mark. In the aftermath, some partygoers took their lives, others fled the country seeking refuge.
Ali Tahayori on his last trip to Iran. Source: Supplied / Ali Tahayori
One of his closest friends, fearing exposure of his sexual identity, entered a marriage and now has a child, he said.
“Australia beckoned as the farthest possible escape, a place where I could finally be myself, unknown and free.”
LGBTQIA+ in Iran
Dr Rojan Afrouz, a senior lecturer in social work at RMIT University, highlighted the lack of official recognition and data on LGBTQIA+ individuals in Iran.
This absence stems from the government’s and many communities’ refusal to acknowledge their existence.
Dr Rojan Afrouz, lecturer in social work
DFAT reported executions for consensual same-sex activity in February 2022 and noted that to avoid legal and social discrimination, gay men may be coerced into undergoing sex-reassignment surgery.
A 2008 British cable published by WikiLeaks estimated that between 4,000 and 6,000 gay men and lesbians had been executed in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
A new beginning
But before coming out as gay, he embarked on a journey through Iran, travelling from north to south, which he said rekindled his creative passion.
Ali Tahayori’s exhibition is on show in St Kilda, Melbourne. Credit: Shelly Xue
Upon returning to Australia, he channelled this focus into his studies, culminating in a Master of Fine Art (Photomedia) degree from the National Art School in Sydney in 2022.
Drawing on traditional Iranian mirror work (aine-kari), his pieces combine fractured mirrors, text and imagery to reflect his own experiences of displacement as a queer Iranian living in Australia.
The mirror holds a direct connection to identity. Breaking it into pieces and reconstructing them reflects my experience of life as a queer migrant — a fragmented reality.
Ali Tahayori
While several galleries there have expressed interest, he said returning home as a queer artist is currently “impossible”.
Source Agencies
