Join Kiosk at the intimate setting of Yoshi’s in San Francisco to hear Kiosk’s new songs! and fresh new sound! Kiosk will be joined on stage by notable guest musicians, including Paul Mehling of Hot Club of San Francisco.

Considered to be the most influential Iranian rock band since the 1979 Revolution, KIOSK is known for its smart and satirical lyrics, as well as its unique sound that seamlessly blends rock, blues, gypsy jazz, and Iranian folk music.

After Kiosk was prevented from performing in public or publishing recordings due to their “inappropriate” lyrics, the band members re-grouped outside Iran in 2005.

Named  “Best Blues Band of 2008″ by the World Academy of Arts, Literature, and Media, Kiosk has since released three albums and toured North America, Europe and Australia.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In this video clip Mostafa Heravi used and adjusted images of the beautiful film The Color of Pomegranates by Sergei Parajanov (Soviet Union, 1968). Mostafa was inspired by this film and the fact that the song ” ey Yarom Bia ” ( Ayy Yorum Biyo ) originally comes from the Tajikistan (Badakhshan) singer Muboraksho . Heravis intention was to create an artistic video clip that merges the content of the song and film.

Kiosk

Tickets

8pm & 10pm shows
$35 open seating, $40 assigned seating
yoshis.com

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1. Michelle Montezeri’s Freedom For Iran Original Song – Change
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San Francisco City Supervisior Ross Mirkarimi will unveil renown sculptor, Paula Slater’s bronze portrait sculptures of Sohrab ‘Freedom Warrior’ and Neda ‘Angel of Freedom’ on December 12th in San Francisco as part of “Arts United 4 Iran”.

Master sculptor, Paula Slater, who sculpted the much beloved bronze portrait sculptures of Neda ‘Angel of Iran’ and Neda ‘Angel of Freedom’ received many requests for her to also please sculpt a portrait bust of Sohrab Aarabi.  Sohrab was a 19 year old Iranian pro-democracy student who disappeared after his participation in a June 2009 protest against the fraudulent election.  Aarabi’s parents filed a missing person’s report and each day his mother took his photograph to prisons and courts in search of information.

It wasn’t until 26 days after he went missing that the government finally notified his parents of his death.  He had been shot in the heart by pro-regime militia during the demonstration and had died almost a month earlier.  Sohrab’s family was ordered not to have a memorial service for him, but crowds chanted in defiance of the police as they gathered for his funeral.  The name Sohrab means “bright, shining” and is the name of a hero in Perisan history.  Like Neda Agha-Soltan, Sohrab has become a martyr and a powerful symbol of the fight for Freedom in Iran.  (Photos of the beautifully detailed life size clay bust presently being cast in bronze at http://www.paulaslater.com/Slater/Sculptor/WorksInProgre ….)

Asked why she chose to sculpt this third portrait, Ms. Slater explains, “I wanted to sculpt a portrait bust of Sohrab to represent all the brave male freedom fighters who continue to risk their lives daily in their protests for human rights and Democracy in Iran.  Seventy percent of the Iranian population want a free and independent secular Iran. Today’s real green movement protests are composed of Iranian youths, university students, women, human rights and political activists who do not want an Islamic dictatorship.

Life Size Clay Portrait Bust of Sohrab 'Freedom Warrior' by Paula Slater

http://www.paulaslater.com/

As an Iranian woman named Leyla writes, “The Iranian people have had enough of the brutal killing, torturing and imprisonment by this backward theocracy which has devastated the lives of tens of millions of Iranians.  It is so painful to think of the greatness we could have achieved during these last 30 years–Iranians could have lived in prosperity, peace and harmony in their own country–instead 70 million Iranians live in a big third world prison!  For most Iranians this is not about Mousavi vs Ahmadinejad.  This is about Freedom and Democracy vs the “Islamic” republic!   From its damned birth 30 years ago, this Regime has enriched Arab terrorist organizations and has tried to impose Arab-ism on Iran and Iranians.  It wants to replace our rich Persian heritage with a radical Arab culture.  But the people have had enough and that’s why they’re still coming out on the streets to protest–Iranians will not rest until the “Islamic” republic has been totally crushed!”

Ayatollah Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have been kept in power by their Revolutionary Guard, the ruthless Basij militia, and pro-regime vigilante Police who are given carte blanche to kill and beat the Iranian people into submission.  Dozens of protesters have died, and Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported 4,000 arrests and Stalinesque mass trials.  As Hillary Clinton recently stated about the rape, torture, executions, imprisonments and disappearances in Iran, “this just shows that the Iranian Government is afraid of its own people.”

“This is a pivoltal moment in history for the Iranian people and thus also for the world,” says Paula. “Artists are supposed to be the visionaries who tell the stories of humankind. The Iranian people have shown me so much gratitude that I must keep telling their story through my art.  Once the clay sculpture of Sohrab is cast in bronze I will find a place to donate it where it will inspire people with the story of his heroic fight for freedom.”

Mona Ameli, with Bay Area Iranian American Democrats, recently wrote to Paula, “Thank you for all your hard work…  I was thinking the other day:  if Neda is the Angel of Freedom, you my dear, are the Angel of Solidarity!

So what is next for this Angel of Solidarity?  ”There is a saying, ‘Bread for the table, flowers for the soul’,” replies Paula.  ”I know I am very blessed to be a professional sculptor and sculpting public commissions puts bread on my table, however sculpting and donating these portraits of Neda and Sohrab have been flowers for my soul.  I will continue to plant my soul garden and do what I can to help keep their memory alive, as I am now designing a Bronze Monument to Neda, Sohrab and the Freedom Fighters.  I also hope to continue being a thorn in the side of the Islamic Regime until their reign of oppression and terror ends.  I believe their karmic day of reckoning is fast approaching, however, bronze lasts for centuries–so these bronze sculptures will last long after the Islamic Regime has turned to dust.  In the meantime, we must all keep the dream of a free Iran alive in our hearts.”  For updates and more information about the Monument as it progresses visit http://www.PaulaSlater.com.

Please click on http://www.NorCal4Iran.com for upcoming details regarding when and where the unveiling of the Sohrab and Neda bronze portraits will take place. On December 12th, United4iran is hosting global events around the world, “Arts United4iran”, in which artists are in some fashion displaying their works to celebrate the civil rights movement in Iran.  December 12th comes six months after the disputed elections in Iran, and coincides with the 61st anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights. For more information about 12/12 events around the world, go to http://www.United4Iran.org.

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Paula Slater Sculpture is owned and operated by Paula B. Slater, M.A. Paula Slater is a full-time professional sculptor and has sculpted many important bronze monuments, portraits and public commissions.
http://www.PaulaSlater.com

Related Posts:

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For four weeks, this one of a kind festival turns San Francisco into a Mecca for innovative, spirited, and thought-provoking theatre from around the world. Providing a rare opportunity for artists and audiences alike to engage deeply and directly with the Middle East in a creative and supportive setting that displaces misinformation and encourages understanding.

Golden Thread Productions’ hallmark event is ReOrient, a festival of plays exploring the Middle East. Debuted in 1999, more than thirty plays have been presented at the ReOrient festival, majority of them world and or U.S. premieres.

Series 1 – Thursdays & Saturdays at 8:00 PM

World Premiere
Series 1: No Such Cold Thing by Naomi Wallace (2009)
An American soldier has an unexpected encounter with two afghan sisters who are ready to embark on a new life. Their fate – and his – get more complicated as the line between their different realities becomes dangerously blurred.

Nora el Samahy and Basel Al-Naffouri in No Such Cold Thing by Naomi Wallace. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 1: Tamam by Betty Shamieh (2002)
From one of the most highly praised Arab-American playwrights comes this story of a young Palestinian woman: Her name is Tamam; it means enough!

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Series 1: Coming Home by Motti Lerner (2003)
A compassionate inquiry into the fragility of the human spirit by one of Israel’s most vocal voices against the occupation.

Charles Isen, Raffi Wartanian and Leah Herman in Coming Home by Motti Lerner. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 1: Call Me Mehdi by Torange Yeghiazarian (2005)
A cultural divide erupts in this bedroom comedy between an Iranian woman and her American husband.

Ahou Tabibzadeh and George Psarras in Call Me Mehdi by Torange Yeghiazarian. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 2 – Fridays at 8:00 PM & Sundays at 5:00 PM

Series 2: I’m Not a Serial Killer by Caveh Zahedi (1999)
From the independent filmmaker responsible for I Am a Sex Addict and I don’t Hate Las Vegas Anymore, comes a kooky comedy about a lovable loser’s futile attempts at picking up the woman of his dreams.

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Series 2: Abaga by Torange Yeghiazarian (2001)
A lyrical tale of forbidden love between an Armenian man and a Turkish woman in Istanbul of 1915 repeats itself in Jerusalem of 1935 when their offspring falls for a Jewish immigrant.

Raffi Wartanian and Vida Ghahremani in Abaga by Torange Yeghiazarian. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 2: A Marriage Proposal by Yussef El Guindi (2001)
Chekov’s classic comedy of class conflict and lemons adapted to an Egyptian family setting.

Dina Mousawi, Michael Sommers and Afif Houssain in A Marriage Proposal by Yussef El Guindi. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan

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Series 2: Compression of a Casualty by Kevin Doyle (2004)
Two CNN anchors find themselves stuck in the news report of an American soldier’s death in Iraq. They can neither tell the deeper tale, nor move on.

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Series 2: The Monologist Suffers Her Monologue by Yussef El Guindi (2007)
A Palestinian-American explores her identity in this poignant and comedic monologue. In the dialogue of nations, do you ever get the feeling that Palestine is just a monologue?

Sara Razavi expresses herself in The Monologist Suffers Her Monologue by Yussef El Guindi. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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General Admission – $25 at the door, $20 in advance
Students, Seniors and TBA members – $15 at the door, $12 in advance
Festival Pass (includes admission to Both Series) – $35 in advance

Note: Ballet Afsaneh will perform on Sunday, December 6th at the ReOrient Forum, at the Project Artaud Theater.

All productions at the Thick House (unless noted)
1695 18th Street
between Carolina and Arkansas Streets on Potrero Hill in San Francisco
http://www.goldenthread.org

Golden Thread Sponsors:

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A project organized by Taraneh Hemami & Ghazaleh Hedayat

Featuring the work of eight artists living in Tehran, Iran; Nima Alizadeh, Saba Alizadeh, Mohammad Ghazali, Ghazaleh Hedayat, Abbas Kowsari, Mehran Mohajer, Neda Razavipour, and Homayoun Sirizi – alongside new work by San Francisco-based artist Taraneh Hemami.

This multi-media exhibition compiles a collective narrative of everyday Tehran, the largest city in the Middle East and the 16th most populated city in the world with close to 8 million residents. Representing the current unpredictability of  each day in Tehran and also the hope that comes from imagining a better future, the artists chronicle narratives of place and time, demystifying life in a county that has been misunderstood and maligned for decades.

Abbas Kowsari triptych

hjh

Neda Razavipour still

Gallery Hours: Tuesdays by appointment
Wednesdays–Saturdays, 12-5PM FREE

Opening Reception
Wednesday November 4, 7-9PM FREE
Gallery closed December 20 through January 4

Sat Nov 21, 2009 2PM Readings by The Association of Iranian American Writers
Sat Jan 16, 2010 7PM Artists Talk

Graphic Design by Navid Ghaem Maghami

One Day: A Collective Narrative of Tehran

Related Posts:

1. Public Lives Private Spaces – Tehran: New Art and Digital Media from Iran
2. Exhibition: Tehran-New York