In Defiant Dancing Corps, Roghani likens Iranian women to a corps—a collective body that continues its fight for freedom, equality, and social justice. This installation captures the revolution that has unfolded within these women’s bodies, a tangible force that ripples through every generation.
The installation features a maze of 18 different postures of the artist herself, each drawn from her and other women’s lived experiences. These postures represent distinct phases of women’s struggles in patriarchal societies, from a young girl ashamed of her budding breasts, either embarrassed or pressing them to her chest to feel free, to a girl enduring unwanted touch.
There are the postures representing women challenging oppressive norms and demanding justice for children that were executed or murdered by the regime over the years of its reign.
While rooted in the experiences of Iranian women, Roghani emphasizes, that these struggles transcend borders. Many of the experiences depicted resonate with women in democratic countries as well, reflecting the universal challenges women face at different levels. As in her previous works, the artist underscores that the struggle—that reached a height during the Mahsa Jina Amini uprising in 2022—is not just ongoing but is a definitive condition of existence.’
