For two artists in Iran, collecting and archiving are forms of resistance

The documentary I Deserve a Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies delves into the lives of Nasser Bakshi and Roghayeh Najdi, two self-proclaimed artists, archivists, and collectors in Iran. Their obsession with amassing objects and materials, particularly those with historical significance, serves as both a form of resistance and a means of maintaining marginalized narratives outside the official history.

The film begins with the duo collecting and cataloging junk, much of it coated with dirt and grime, reminiscent of the living room of Henry Darger, a reclusive artist whose hoarding is described by Olivia Laing in her book The Lonely City. Despite Bakshi's success and eccentricities, he remains self-reliant, gathering history from discarded materials. Najdi reveals that Bakshi even salvages her abandoned canvases, further emphasizing the significance of his work as a form of resistance.

Bakshi's collection, known to antique-shop owners and rag-and-bone men in Tabriz, is catalogued and preserved, serving as a testament to the personal histories suppressed by the Iranian state. The film's director, Mani Haghighi, draws parallels between Bakshi's practice and his own work, highlighting the filmmakers' shared struggle to preserve truth and history under authoritarianism.

The unpredictability of the film, with missing footage and suppressed information, serves as a political statement in itself, reflecting the challenges faced by artists and archivists in Iran.