Artist Creates Simpsons-Inspired Mural In Powerful Message Against Iran

The artwork has been created by Italian artist aleXsandro Palombo, who has slammed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei for protests.

A mural painting of cartoon character Marge Simpson, from the popular series The Simpsons, reappeared this week on a wall in front of Iran’s consulate general in Milan showing solidarity with the women in the Islamic republic. It has been created by Italian artist aleXsandro Palombo as part of a series of such paintings on the issue. Titled “The Final Cut”, it shows an angry Marge holding the head of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989. This is a symbolic work, which the artist said “wants to be a hymn to freedom and an encouragement to resistance”. Mr Palombo has posted the photos of the artwork on his Instagram handle.

With the three-part series – “The Cut 1”, “The Cut 2” and “The Final Cut” – Palombo slammed Iran’s rulers and joining the protests that have swept through the country since September when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody. She was arrested for not wearing properly the hijab.

In “The Cut 1”, the artist’s mural showed Marge Simpson cutting her hair in front of the Iranian Consulate in Milan in memory of Ms Amini and to celebrate the courage of the Iranian women. It was, however, removed in less than 24 hours. Mr Palombo reacted to the removal of the work by creating “The Cut 2” with Marge Simpson showing a raised middle finger.

And now, in the third and final part of the series, Marge Simpson is shown carrying the head of Khamenei along with a machete.

“On January 1, in a tweet, Ayatollah Khamenei made a clear invitation to artists declaring that artistic ways should be used to tell others about exemplary models like General Soleimani (who was killed in American raid). I accepted his invitation and took part in this unusual competition by creating the work “The Final Cut” because I thought it was appropriate to immortalise how an exemplary model ends up,” Mr Palombro said on Instagram.