Reza Mirzaei Analyzes Bahman Mohassess's 1960s Parodic Critique in ARTMargins Article

Reza Mirzaei's 2025 article in ARTMargins reinterprets Iranian artist Bahman Mohassess's 1960s output through parody theory. The analysis centers on Mohassess's 1965 Untitled painting and his 1967 Tehran staging of Luigi Pirandello's Henry IV, revealing how the equestrian motif functioned as subversive commentary. This motif carried specific political weight in post-1953 coup Iran, where Reza Shah's mounted statue was a symbol of tension. Mirzaei employs Linda Hutcheon's parody theory and Mikhail Bakhtin's dialogism to argue that Mohassess transformed Western artistic forms into layered critiques. The work addressed both Iranian societal pressures and broader art historical conversations. Published in ARTMargins Volume 14, Issue 1, the study positions Mohassess's practice within global modernism debates. It underscores parody's potency as a critical artistic strategy in the postwar era. The article is available via MIT Press under subscription access.