CHICAGO () — A new art installation in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood is opening as the war with Iran reaches the six-month point, inviting visitors to view the conflict through the work of Iranian photographers and to reflect on the children killed in its earliest days.
The exhibition, called “Through Iranian Eyes,” centers on children Iran says were killed when a U.S. bomb hit the Minab School in southern Iran during the opening days of the war. According to the exhibit, the circumstances of the strike are still being reviewed by U.S. armed forces as efforts continue to reach a resolution to the conflict.
The display was organized by artist and U.S. citizen Teerdad Amir Normandi, founder and coordinator of the Chicago Nowruz Parade. It features photographs and information about the children killed when a missile struck the Minab School, which may have been located near an Iranian military facility.
Organizers say the installation is meant to broaden the public conversation beyond gas prices, inflation and geopolitical uncertainty by highlighting the war’s human cost and raising questions about U.S. goals in Iran. The exhibit also points to the continuing standoff over a nuclear deal, noting that U.S. pressure has been met with defiance even after much of Iran’s military and former leadership were destroyed.
“They are a proud nation with a proud history, and even if they have differences with their own government, they do not want to bring a peace and come with their arms raised and say, ‘We give up,’” said Normandi, who is also a human rights activist. “No, they are not going to give up. They need their dignity and honor.”
The exhibit will stay on view for an unspecified period while activists continue working to draw attention to the injuries, deaths and destruction endured by people on all sides of the war.
