The PaykanArtCar unites diaspora Iranian artists with the iconic Paykan automobile to advocate for human rights in Iran. Originally a gift from Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi to Nicolae Ceaușescu, the car was purchased at auction as a canvas for artwork by Iranian artists in exile. Each year, PaykanArtCar commissions an artist-in-exile to capture the Iranian struggle for human dignity. The inaugural car, designed by Alireza Shojaian, features a historic Persian design with a message about the brutality faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Iran. It symbolizes creative dissent against the human rights abuses of Iran’s theocratic regime and won the Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent for its daring advocacy of human rights and dignity in Iran.