It is not a coincidence that Iran has so many photographers. when today’s Iranians want to express themselves, they use the tools given to them by history. The modern version of poetry is photography, of course. images, photojournalism, documentary or art are visual poetry, if you will. With this exhibition, we want to introduce those who are shaping the image of Iran today. A very diverse mix of photographers, artists and filmmakers portraying a country still caught up in revolution and war, but also fast-changing beyond recognition. Iran is both a young and an old country at the same time. Thousands of years of history have come before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. We start counting again from that year. Iran: year 38, is to be an exhibition celebrating the culture of visual poetry embraced by Iranians.
Anahita Ghabaiyan and Newsha Tavakolian
Anahita Ghabaiyan is a curator, the founder of the Silk Road Gallery in Tehran and one of the ambassadors of Iranian photography in the West. Newsha Tavakolian is an Iranian photographer born in 1981 and represented by Magnum.
Iran, Year 38
Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles 2017
July 3 to September 24, 2017
Arles, France
