Created in 1954 in Iran, just one year after the coup d’état that ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, Untitled (1954) is a striking early work by Siah Armajani. Rendered in white ink on black gouache board, the piece depicts naked men with clenched hands, arms pressed tightly against their bodies, heads hanging down, and fully dressed women clutching innocent new-born babies.

This work reflects Armajani’s deep concern for the suffering and injustices inflicted upon the underprivileged. His artistic practice was never about showcasing technical skill but rather about giving voice to the urgent political and social struggles of his time.

Reflecting on this period in his life, Armajani shared: “In August 1953, a coup d’état ended Mossadegh’s government. Hope left, and fear settled over Tehran. The coup reinstated centuries-old inquisitors who tortured and killed opposition members. Fear lay under a thousand snows. The military believed they were fighting millions of nobodies.” Quoting writer Peter Hamill, he added:

“They thought the nobodies experienced no terror, no exultation, no love. That they did not feel hunger or suffer remorse.”

Armajani concluded, “Tehran became dark, pitch black; there was silence.”