Mehdi Mahdian‭ (‬born 1985‭)‬

Twin Theater‭, ‬University of Art‭‬

Tehran‭, ‬2010

digital print‭, ‬100x70‭ ‬cm

 

Theater poster for‭ "‬The Twin‭", ‬a drama in eight scenes based on the short story of Herostratus‭, ‬written by Jean Paul Sartre‭. ‬Herostratus's name lives on in classical literature‭,‬ and has passed into modern

languages as a term for someone who commits a criminal act in order to win‭ "‬herostratic‭" ‬fame‭, ‬or‭ "‬fame at any cost‭."‬

Mahdian's theater poster‭, ‬depicting an existentialist fear of being under permanent guard without any possibility of escape‭, ‬is expressed in the poster by a double shadow on the wall of a man with one leg‭,‬

his hands and body bound by a typographic ribbon‭.‬ 

 

This exceptional poster received many awards‭, ‬among them the ICOGRADA Excellence Award at the Warsaw International Poster Biennial in Poland‭, ‬Merit Awards at the Trnava International Poster Triennial in Slovakia and the Fadjr

Internatinal Theater Testival in Iran‭, ‬and a Merit Award by Graphis magazine at the Graphis Annual Poster Competition in 2006‭.‬