A poster is printed in a large, 100×70 format, including the names of nearly all active Iranian visual artists in different fields. The poster is distributed in all important art centers in the capital. At the opening day, a group of unknown men are standing in the stairs leading to the entrance of the gallery, asking people to sign a letter and leave their fingerprints if they intend to enter the gallery. People who refuse to do that are not allowed to enter, even by force. A pile of glittering toffee pieces wrapped in glittering chocolate papers is seen in the entrance. A piece of paper on the wall reflects the resume of an American artist, having held shows in the most famous art centers worldwide. Each person is given a toffee and a diazepam-10 tablet. The toffee reveals to be a neatly-cut piece of meat.
A black cube is seen in the center of the gallery hall from which four horizontal iron bars are projected. Using these bars, the viewers can hit the person inside the cube. Each bar hits a different part of the body: the head, the chest, the feet, the genitalia. By hitting each part, the imprisoned artist makes different sounds: shouting, laughing, murmuring, sighing, or making sounds of pleasure. The identity of the artist is not to be revealed to the audience.
Entezart, a pun with the words: “art” and “waiting” is the first part of a trilogy addressing the art world in Iran. The poster bearing many names refers to big sales prevalent in these two years. The fingerprint taking people, sleeping pills and meat toffees are allusions to governmental pressures, identifications and pursuing, and the passive, lethargic circumstances imposed on the people.
