Mohammad Tabesh

A Lesson in Context is an artwork comprised of two plates. The plate on the right is a reproduction of page 22 of Tintin au pays de l'ornoir (Land of Black Gold) in original French. On the left, the same plate – this time the Farsi edition (تن‌تن در سرزمین طلای سیاه)– is recreated. The images are mirrors of each other, following the direction in which each language is read. An English text in pencil is added to the margin of each plate.

The English text on the margin of the French edition reads:

All I see in these images is the reminiscences of European colonialism. It is not the kick that is offensive: If any, it shows the silliness of the two French detectives. What is really offensive is the portrayal of the indigenous people in the entire series. In this case, Muslims are pictured in ridiculous poses and depicted as a gullible mob who carry daggers and scream and chase people when angry. Back then, it was all about“them” – the non-Europeans - against “us” – the right type.

The English text on the margin of the Farsi edition says:

Back in 1984, when I was ten, I loved this page. It was funny! To prove to Dupond that what they see is in fact a mirage, Dupont goes to the locals in prayer and kick one of them so hard he goes into the sand face first. The Muslim guy looked like my religion teacher: as bearded and as scary. I enjoyed the kick. I wish I could do the same. I felt closer to the Frenchman than the Muslim. Back then, it was all about “them” – the overzealous Muslims - against “us” – the ordinary type.

The work conveys the importance of context in reading, interpreting, and understanding visual languages. It shows how crucial it is to read the images in the context of their creation time and the contemporary sociopolitical ambiance they are being viewed. The mirrored images side by side, with Dunpont kicking the Muslim in the opposite directions, emphasize looking at two [almost] identical images and reading two very different stories from them. Including handwritten texts in the margin of the prints creates a multi-layered work with parallel narratives in a single setting.