Iran Women

When the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile in 1979, he was welcomed by the coalition of merchants, intellectuals and clergy who led the shah's ouster. The ayatollah would swiftly disillusion many of them as he consolidated his power in the name of Islam, ordering women to wear veils and adopting a violent vision of jihad that paved the way for the Hezbollah suicide bombers.

It is an arresting image. A transparent red veil swirls over a nude woman like a torrent, covering her but revealing the subversive sensuality of her form. This lush, wall-sized photograph by Shahla Sepehr Bebe--called "Shame"--is among the works of 18 Iranian immigrant artists in a striking Los Angeles exhibition that uses Iran's Islamic dress code for women as a metaphor for their status in society and for universal issues of individual freedoms.

Morgan Hakimi's betrothal was so faithful to tradition she could have been back in Iran. She had never had a boyfriend--or even a date--when she met Bruce, the fellow Iranian emigre her father wanted her to marry in Los Angeles in 1980. She was 16. But when the last glass of wine at their wedding was empty, this "Irangeles" couple unveiled a new tradition that startled their patriarchal community. She went to college while he pitched in at home. Some friends thought he was crazy.