If the tulip symbolizes martyrdom and suffering in Iran and this flower “is born from the blood of the martyrs”, according to the conse-crated saying, it is nevertheless another flower, the gladiolus, which played the role of ersatz of the Tulip in the years of war (Iran-Iraq) and conflict, on the coffins of the martyrs and in official ceremonies. The abundance of gladioli in the Iranian market created a rupture between visual and material culture: the gladioli placed on the martyr’s coffin had to evoke tulips representing the martyr. It is through this decentation that Melika Shafahi’s photo brings a new element into the visual universe and invites us to rethink the visual culture of contemporary Iran through its materiality, based on economic and social realities.
