TEHRAN – Deputy for Artistic Affairs of the Tehran Municipality's Arts and Cultural Organization, Mohammad Khorasanizadeh, explained a series of literary, visual arts, musical, and theatrical programs that were held alongside the farewell and funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in Tehran from Saturday to Monday.

“We sought to ensure that art in these historic days would not merely serve a decorative role, but would instead become the people's language for expressing their emotions, devotion, loyalty, and renewed commitment to the Martyr Leader,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr.

“To this end, a collection of artistic events was designed and carried out across different parts of the city, particularly along the route of the farewell ceremony and funeral procession. These programs were organized with the participation of the specialized departments of the Deputy for Artistic Affairs within the Tehran Municipality's Arts and Cultural Organization, with each initiative aiming to preserve and immortalize a part of the people's emotions and narratives during these historic days,” he added.

He stated that the creation of graffiti artworks focusing on resistance, the Martyr Leader, and the epic spirit of the Iranian people along the funeral route was carried out by the Iranian House of Cartoon. In addition, a group of visual artists gathered at Valiasr Square to create live paintings and portrait drawings of the Martyr Leader, an initiative managed by the Organization's House of Visual Arts.

Khorasanizadeh noted that the literary event “The Last Meeting” was jointly organized by the House of Literary Creations of the Tehran Municipality's Arts and Cultural Organization and the Art Bureau at Imam Khomeini Mosalla. This unprecedented event brought together approximately 300 poets from Iran and other countries, who continuously recited elegiac poetry in mourning for the Martyr Leader over a 48-hour period in the Mosalla's main prayer hall.

Regarding musical productions, he explained that the House of Musical Creations produced and released a number of musical works specifically for the occasion, contributing its artistic voice to narrating this historic event by offering compositions reflecting mourning, heroism, and resistance.

Khorasanizadeh further stated that stage performances—including regional folk music, tazieh (passion plays), children's and youth choirs, religious eulogies, and theatrical performances—were organized by the House of Theater at Valiasr Square and other designated locations, where they were welcomed by the public.

Responding the interactive art project “The Oath,” which was created through public participation using images of clenched fists, Khorasanizadeh explained: “This artwork was designed and implemented through the direct participation of the public. Hundreds of participants attending the farewell and funeral ceremonies for the Martyr Leader contributed by recording images of their own clenched fists. These digital images were then assembled into a single five-meter-wide portrait depicting the clenched fist of the Martyr Leader. The work symbolizes the people's solidarity, loyalty, and renewed pledge to the ideals of the Martyr Leader. Its defining characteristic was that the public were not merely viewers of the artwork—they became an integral part of its creation”.

Referring to the strong public reception of the artistic activities along the funeral route, he added that the enthusiastic participation of citizens alongside artists and their engagement with the works demonstrated that art remains one of the most effective means of expressing collective emotions and preserving historic moments.

Khorasanizadeh also highlighted other initiatives held during this period, including participation in a visual arts event, the storytelling program “Farewell to the Sun,” and the public narrative campaign “Me and My Martyr Leader,” each sought to document and preserve people's emotions, memories, and personal accounts of the Martyr Leader through various artistic and cultural forms.

He further emphasized that the activities extended far beyond the central farewell and funeral ceremonies. Simultaneously with this historic occasion, cultural centers, arts centers, galleries, and institutions affiliated to the Tehran Municipality's Arts and Cultural Organization hosted specialized artistic events across Tehran. Artists throughout the city paid tribute to the Martyr Leader and interpreted this historic event through visual arts, literature, theater, and music.

In conclusion, Khorasanizadeh said: “What took place during these days was not simply a collection of cultural programs, but an artistic effort to document a historic event and to fulfill the artistic community's duty toward the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution. During these days, art demonstrated its ability to preserve, document, and immortalize the collective memory of a nation.”

SS/SAB