Spazio Reale, in Monte Carasso, Switzerland, organizes until June three photography exhibitions devoted to Iran. Today, The Eye of Photography presents the work of Kiana Hayeri.
Kiana Hayeri grew up in Tehran, Iran and migrated to Toronto as a teenager.
Photography provided a way to bridge the challenging gap in language and culture as she adapted to her new environment.
Her series entitled Beyond the Veil, explains how, with more than seventy-five percent of the population under the age of thirty-five, Iran remains one of the youngest, and most Western-seeking countries in the Middle East. As many young Iranians try to gain more freedom in the way they dress or interact with the opposite sex, this is all done with the threat of persecutions, both legally and socially. While the world may not realize it, small acts of defiance can be seen everyday.
“For example,” she explains, “young women put on a bit more makeup, wear more colorful clothing, reveal bare arms, push their headscarves further back or get involve in relationships, and enjoy the taste of alcohol or ‘banned substance’ behind closed doors. These are all done in an attempts to move away from socially defined roles and expectations, and choose a life based on individual choice.”
Highlighting the personality and determination of this generation in subtle and quiet ways, these images open for us a window into this disobedience both behind closed doors and on the streets of Tehran.
This project not only explores the veil in its literal sense of the word, the Hijab, but also as the curtain that delicately separates public and private lives of Iranians. In times when politicians speak of isolation and aggression, it offers the Western audience a rare and unique view into the lives of ordinary people living in Iran today.
Kiana Hayeri, Beyond the Veil
April 16 to June 3, 2018
Spazio Reale
El Cunvént 4
6513 Monte Carasso
Switzerland
https://www.facebook.com/SpazioReale-443803612324501/
