A Shared Silence

“A Shared Silence” is a homage to the people of Iran by Iranian artists who have studied or are currently studying at the Department of Gemstones and Jewellery in Idar-Oberstein. The works of these 13 artists tell stories of oppression, expulsion, and loss, dealing with the experience of constant internal upheaval and uncertainty. In the in-between of past and present, proximity and detachment, hope and despair, their work enables us to connect and stand up for freedom and human dignity.

A publication will be released accompanying the exhibition. “A shared silence” is part of the exhibition programme “Idar-Oberstein adorned”.

A Shared Silence
We are Iranians who are connected to Idar-Oberstein, a place many of us have come to call home – at least for a while. As students and graduates of the Idar-Oberstein Campus Gemstones and Jewellery, our personal, academic, and professional journeys have been shaped here, forming lasting ties to this city and its community.

Iran is not distant or abstract to us. The developments in our home country resonate deeply within our lives. Our families, friendships, memories, and emotional bonds connect us inseparably to those who remain there. The pain, resilience, and hope of the Iranian people are felt by us every day. Within the academic and cultural environment of Idar-Oberstein, we have found space for learning, dialogue, and free expression. We are grateful for this openness, which allows us to speak, reflect, and engage responsibly as members of a shared society.

This project is an act of remembrance and witness. We invite viewers to pause, to see, to remember, and to reflect – cultivating empathy, awareness, and collective responsibility. At the same time, we seek to amplify the voices of those who remain imprisoned, disappeared, or threatened with execution by the Islamic Republic – individuals whose names and stories are too often silenced. Their lives, suspended in uncertainty, demand attention, care, and solidarity.

This event is our gesture of resistance and remembrance. It is dedicated to those who refused silence in the face of injustice and who paid with their lives for the ideals of freedom, dignity, and self-determination. We hope this shared space may serve as a bridge between lived experience and collective conscience, fostering connection, compassion, and a renewed commitment to our shared humanity.

Arianas Dehghan, Bahareh Arian, Farnoosh Abdoli, Gheseh Shahandeh, Mana Jahangard, Nioosha Vaezzadeh, Niyousha Moosavi, Pegah Vedad, Rezvan Hajian, Sara Heidary, Shahin Sahafipour, Sharareh Aghaei, Vesal Bahmani Nik