Four photo artists who were born in Iran displayed their work through four photo series and a mirror installation to stage a critical examination of the past, in order to reflect on present political and social developments within their country. The past helps to create identity, and the aim of these artists is to question, in four different ways, the historical conditionality of our own family, social, cultural and national identities. 

Moreover, the four artists, namely Shadi Ghadirian, Arman Stepanian, Najaf Shokri and Taraneh Hemami, question the past on several levels using metaphors and allegories, in order to make statements about Iran’s present day. Although united by their critical approach to the current situation in their country, the artists evoke a number of past events ranging from the beginning of the use of photography in Iran in 1842, to the war between Iran and Iraq that took place between 1980 and 1988.

In cooperation with all the artists, the photo exhibition was supported by the Afrand Gallery Tehran, AG Galerie Tehran and Silk Road Gallery Tehran. It has being financed by the Museum of Islamic Art and the Hauptstadtkulturfonds (Capital City Cultural Fund), which was initiated in 1999 through an agreement between the administration of Berlin and the Federal Government, namely the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. 

• https://www.smb.museum/ausstellungen/detail/capturing-irans-past.html https://www.smb.museum/ausstellungen/detail/capturing-irans-past.html
• http://www.hauptstadtkulturfonds.berlin.de/ http://www.hauptstadtkulturfonds.berlin.de/

Giulia Russo Wälti

Berlin Global, News from Berlin