Israeli Artist Highlights Women's Right to Choose Head Coverings in Iran and Israel
In September 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini became a symbol of resistance against Iran's Islamic dress codes after dying in custody of the "morality police" for allegedly improperly wearing a headscarf. Her death sparked unprecedented protests across Iran and worldwide under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom," with thousands of women publicly removing their hijabs and cutting their hair as acts of defiance.
A year later, Israeli visual communication student Romi Klemaro began exploring the topic through her final project "Under," presented at Bezalel Academy's 2026 graduate exhibition in Jerusalem. Inspired by the Iranian protests and conversations with six Iranian women in exile, two Jewish women living in Israel and four Muslim women in Germany, Klemaro created a series of colorful scarves that translate personal stories and data about women's experiences with body coverage and control into visual design.
The interviewed women, aged 24 to 54, shared diverse perspectives shaped by different historical periods in Iran, revealing generational gaps in attitudes toward community, personal freedom, and bodily autonomy. Despite living outside Iran, their Iranian identity remains strong, and many recounted childhood memories alongside experiences of state violence.
Klemaro emphasized that her project is not against the hijab or any head covering but advocates for individual choice. She acknowledged the complexity of the issue, noting that some religious women choose to cover their heads freely, while others resist compulsory dress codes. The scarves incorporate visual codes inspired by 15th- and 16th-century Iranian manuscripts and 1970s retro geometric patterns, symbolizing connections to community and feelings of control or lack thereof.
While focusing on Iran, Klemaro also draws parallels to rising religious extremism and legislative moves in Israel affecting women's rights and public space, such as expanding rabbinical court powers and gender segregation debates. She warns that the control over women's dress and appearance is a broader struggle over power and identity. "The issue of women's clothing and visibility in public space belongs only to the woman herself," she said, urging awareness of ongoing challenges to women's equality in Israel.
"Under" was exhibited from July 24 to August 6, 2024, at Bezalel's Jerusalem campus, inviting reflection on women's autonomy over their bodies and attire in both Iranian and Israeli contexts.
