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Artist Takes A Critical Look At Modern Society And Calls Attention To Problems In Today’s World With His Thought-Provoking Illustrations (30 New Pics)
40-year-old Alireza Pakdel is a cartoonist, illustrator, and art director from Iran. His work mostly explores and revolves around various problems that are dominant in our modern-day society, reminding us of important things that we might overlook when it comes to our everyday lives.
However, of course, it's definitely not the first time we have mentioned the said artist’s work on Bored Panda. Over the last year, Pakdel’s work has been featured quite a few times on our site. If you are as curious as we are, you can go ahead and do your very best checking out Alireza’s other themed works such as part 1 of illustrations that expose today’s society and his digital artworks that show the harsh reality of doctors during the coronavirus outbreak.
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With his illustrations, Pakdel tries to address everyday situations that often go unnoticed by most people. In a world where topics such as capitalism, consumerism, racism, and even pollution caused by human actions are very relevant themes, Alireza often tries to spread awareness and explore these topics in his works.
This needs to be higher as it shows a tragedy many people in the West are unaware of: in Iran, women are not allowed to sing or play instruments in public. There were many cases where a wellknown (male) singer had women in his orchestra and just before the concert started, women were forced to leave the stage. This reminds me of a heartbreaking photo of a female musician peeping through the curtain with sad eyes to see how her fellow male musicians are perfrming.
When you think about it, it's incredible how much information people have at their fingertips when they surf the internet. You could consider yourself the pilot of your own journey as you glide across whatever you find in the digital cosmos. So seeing Alireza’s mindful illustrations surface across social media truly sets a good reflection of the world’s current situation. His work carries a powerful and meaningful message that can be understood without the need for words.
With that being said, we believe it's wildly interesting to listen to how some people reflect on their own lives or recount the past. The power of sentimentality, memory, and nostalgia that comes along with it is a powerful experience. The characters portrayed in Pakdel’s works convey all kinds of feelings and appeal to surreal, imaginary situations that reflect on today’s world, both past, present, and future.
All in all, It's up to you to decide, Pandas! Choose your favorite works amongst them all and explain to us in the comments why you chose them. We dare you to try to appreciate all of the different aspects of these images without being hypnotized. Which topics do you think should be more relevant?
I think this needs explaining as well. In Iran (the artist is Iranian), politicians pretend to live modest lives, while gathering wealth on the back of the poor. The camera shows what they want the public to see (on state controlled media) and behind the camera we see their actual life style.
Be like the dogs. But don't lick each other when you first meet them, that's just weird.
Is there drought where flamingos live??? 😢 can we do anything to help? i love flamingos!
you know it is so ironic that most kids or adults even, loath certain things (like vegetables, doctor appointments, or school to list a few), while lots of people would love to be able to eat vegetables, go to the doctor, or go to school.
In some countrys teachers end up in jail if they dont tow the line. I think this is a reference.
Load More Replies...Could this be those who are speaking out against the regime, perhaps teachers, speaking from prison? I know that the regime silences and imprisons it's detractors.
‘Schools serve the same social functions as prisons and mental institutions- to define, classify, control, and regulate people." Michel Foucault
I agree to what you are saying to some extent, however I do believe that school is necessary
Load More Replies...Nope, this is not the point, sorry.Read Virgil and Pantea's comments. ❤️
Load More Replies...Corporate factory farms; they only succeed based on the suffering of the humans and animals that work them
Note: this post originally had 40 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
We take so much and give back so little. It's sad to know we're so full of greed and anger.
.... full of greed and selfishness, ignorance, apathy, arrogance.
Load More Replies...These are great cartoons, but people from other countries than Iran need to know the context to understand them. Iranians are fighting a brutal dictatorship, but in the Western media they're shown as a bunch of terrorists that are happy to be ruled by Islamic clerics.
As it comes to destruction of nature and cruelty to animals they are international issues, they are where all human misery comes from. The link between cruelty to animals and violence against humans is undeniable!! There never will be human rights, social justice without animal rights, period!!!
Load More Replies...My heart hurts after seeing this post,Humans have let earth down. :(
the artist mostly captures the problem that is going on in Iran the lack of money and economy that goverment doesn't provide for families and even takes what is for people for their own selfish reasons but no one could raise their voice in iran properly and got silence or got killed by the goverment force its not done, yet it's not finished goverment has shut down water sources, cuts electricity every few hours a day and execute innocent people in jail. even children are getting killed in the hands of this brutal dictators
Not many up votes for this particular post. Bored Pandas do not like thought provoking art.... anything.
We take so much and give back so little. It's sad to know we're so full of greed and anger.
.... full of greed and selfishness, ignorance, apathy, arrogance.
Load More Replies...These are great cartoons, but people from other countries than Iran need to know the context to understand them. Iranians are fighting a brutal dictatorship, but in the Western media they're shown as a bunch of terrorists that are happy to be ruled by Islamic clerics.
As it comes to destruction of nature and cruelty to animals they are international issues, they are where all human misery comes from. The link between cruelty to animals and violence against humans is undeniable!! There never will be human rights, social justice without animal rights, period!!!
Load More Replies...My heart hurts after seeing this post,Humans have let earth down. :(
the artist mostly captures the problem that is going on in Iran the lack of money and economy that goverment doesn't provide for families and even takes what is for people for their own selfish reasons but no one could raise their voice in iran properly and got silence or got killed by the goverment force its not done, yet it's not finished goverment has shut down water sources, cuts electricity every few hours a day and execute innocent people in jail. even children are getting killed in the hands of this brutal dictators
Not many up votes for this particular post. Bored Pandas do not like thought provoking art.... anything.