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Zanjir
(2002-2019)
Zanjir is a conversation imagined between the Persian princess and memoirist Taj Saltaneh (1883 - 1936) and I.

In 2004, I visited the Golestan museum in central Tehran to begin work on academic archival research. The museum was once home to Qajars, and to the King’s wives and relatives. The photographs in the museum’s archives, amongst others, include those taken between 1860 and 1896 by Nasr al din shah, the King during the Qajar Era, when photography first arrived in Iran. These archival photographs became a cornerstone of the project due to the multiple potential interpretations and readings of the imagery. I decided to tell my story through that of others – those who lived in the past and yet their stories still exist in the present.





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Book


BUY BOOK
RRB Photobooks / IC Visual Lab
 November 2019
 Softcover, 152 pages
 23.4 x 15.6 cm
 Design by Alejandro Acin (ICVL Studio)
Edited by Alejandro Acin, Amak Mahmoodian & Aaron Schuman
AWARDS
Winner, Photo/Text Award. Les Recontres de la Photographie, Arles. 2020
REVIEWS
Financial  Times  (EN)  
Collector Daily (EN)  
American Suburb X (US) 
1000 words (UK)
Exhibitions

Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann Zanjir, Arnolfini (Bristol, UK), 2020. Curated by Alejandro Acín and Kieran Swann


Shenasnameh
(2007-2010)

Shenasnameh is the name of the official Iranian Birth Certificate. It is valid for life, but the photograph which it contains must be updated according to the standards.

13 years ago, I was waiting in a reception room, holding the birth certificates of my mother and myself, my eyes began to flick from the picture of my mother to the picture of myself, and back again. A sudden realisation came upon me of what these pictures meant, of what they showed, and what they didn’t show. My mother and I, for all our differences, were welded into one being.  I looked like my mother, and she looked like me. But it went beyond that. All of a sudden I realised that all Iranian women were being restricted to look the same, like us; plain faces under hairless scarves.

That same day my fingerprint was fixed next to my image and my mother’s fingerprint was fixed next to her image. But though the faces had become the same, the fingerprints were different.



"While the nearly identical images reflect the limited representation of women in today’s Iran, put together in one narrative, they still tell quietly personal stories – in the face of this system, these women have found tiny ways to take back control and to define themselves on their own terms. The photobook, with its thoughtful design, movingly delivers a message about faces and identities, where stubborn diversity and subversive independence can still flourish behind the blankness of common facades and stereotypes."  Collector Daily Review by Helka Aleksdottir.


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Book




First Edition May 2016. Co-Published by ICVL Studio & RRB Publishing Printing: Full colour Indigo on 118grs Mohawk Superfine Eggshell
Binding: Fully Hand Bind in Winters Novalite
Every book comes in a handmade designed slipecase
Size: 100 x 136 mm Extent: 120 pages
Language: English / Persian
ISBN: 978-0-9932323-4-3

Awards
    • Winner of the Photobook Flip Award 2016
    • Special Mention at Maribor Photobook Award 2016
    • Finalist Best British Book Design and Production 2016
    • Shortlisted 2016 Best Author Book, Rencontres Arles  

Reviews

Financial  Times  (EN)
Foam Magazine (NL)
La Repubblica (Italy)
IMA Magazine (JP)
PH Museum (UK)
Photomonitor (UK)
Aesthetica Magazine (UK)
Raw View Magazine (NY)
PHMuseum (EN)
Photo Eye (US)
Collector Daily (EN)
Kassel Foto Buch (GE)
Gabriela Cendoya (SP)





Exhibitions


Shenasnameh, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece, 2017, Curated by Natasha Christia Shenasnameh , VIGILANCE, STRUGGLE, PRIDE: THROUGH HER EYES, Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2018, Curated by Marina Paulenka. Shenasnameh , VIGILANCE, STRUGGLE, PRIDE: THROUGH HER EYES, Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2018, Curated by Marina Paulenka. Shenasnameh , VIGILANCE, STRUGGLE, PRIDE: THROUGH HER EYES, Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2018, Curated by Marina Paulenka. Shenasnameh , VIGILANCE, STRUGGLE, PRIDE: THROUGH HER EYES, Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2018, Curated by Marina Paulenka. Shenasnameh , VIGILANCE, STRUGGLE, PRIDE: THROUGH HER EYES, Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2018, Curated by Marina Paulenka. Shenasnameh, Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery, Tokyo , Japan, 2017, Curated by Yumi Goto Shenasnameh, Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery, Tokyo , Japan, 2017, Curated by Yumi Goto Shenasnameh, Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery, Tokyo , Japan, 2017, Curated by Yumi Goto Where Time Stood Still, Ffotogallery , Cardiff, Wales, 2019, Co curated by David Drake and Amak Mahmoodian



Multimedia

Gereh
(2015-2017, Iran)


Gereh (Kont) in my childhood was eagerness, which became entangled in my memory. The knot of my grandmother’s scarf. She tied her flowery scarf with a sweet knot.

Many years after, the knot of my grandmother’s scarf and knots I saw everywhere, turned into stories and continue to do so. 13 years ago in Iran, I spent days and months in Tehran reliving and listening to those stories, and putting the stories in pictures so that they may be seen and read …, to become the eternal knot.

As I saw them over and over…

An ‘amorous knot’, a ‘tired knot’, a ‘young knot’, an ‘old knot’, a ‘sad knot’, a ‘pretty knot’, and knots which today and every day are tied and untied, to resemble the one who have tied and untied them.

As a result, I consider the photos of the knots not only a work of light on paper, but a phenomenon, which is derived from thoughts, existence, and non-existence; the must and must nots.





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Exhibitions

Binam ( Gereh), Ffotogalery, Cardiff , Wales, 2012, Co Curated by Amak Mahmoodian and David Drake Binam ( Gereh), Ffotogalery, Cardiff , Wales, 2012, Co Curated by Amak Mahmoodian and David Drake
















Mohr
(2008)


Standing on one side and inciting the observer, in Mohr, I , the subject and the observer – all three – have an insight into these images. The written text is the outlook of non-Iranian regarding Persian women.

After collecting the texts in UK,  during a  journey back to Iran in 2008, these texts were fused into the daily life of the Persian women;  their lives were documented within the words. In a number of photographs, the word has been written on a mirror.  Mirror, the symbol of purity and light in Persian culture













Kodaki
(2006-2007) Iran

Tehran, 9 year old girl.

“From this  photograph  I understand  that it shows me a very very long time ago, compare to these days those days they wore such a beautiful coats , trousers , hats … what kind of decorations was on the wall, sofa and floor, how was their traditional life … how lucky they were, I wish I was in past time.”


In Kodaki I asked 9 year old kids to read these  archival photographs taken between 1850 and 1896, when photography first arrived in Iran,  children told me in their own words how they feel about the images of children from past. The written text next to the image is the handwriting of 9 year old kids regarding the historical images of children in 19th century, when the kid was just a kid.









This photo was taken in the olden days. These clothes belong to the olden time( in the  past). This baby in the arms of the man has been circumcised. This photo belongs to aristocratic family from the past. This photo is very ugly. This photo belongs to Qajar period. It is true ( is the truth) that the kids in Qajar time had a special look but the main difference with today’s children are, 1- Clothes 2-the shape of their hats and their furnitures and sofa and their garden.  In Qajar time the children didn’t have much mental development and as a result they did not make a good progress and were not successful. In the name of God This child looks like a girl. The clothes and her style are different from today. It seems like this little girl belongs to the Qajar period(dynasty). It seems like this little shy girls is 9 years old. These two chair behind the littler girl are for her Mother and (her) father. Because the girl’s house is dark, she is very sad.  From this picture we can understand it was taken a very very long time ago, we can tell as the olden day clothing, suits and etc were much nicer than these days, as well as all the designs on the wall, sofa and even floor. It shows what customs and tradition they had, they were very lucky, I wish I was in that time. They didn’t have much knowledge about Illnesses, dressing up and fashion. The gap between rich people and poor people was huge. There was a little freedom about Hejab, and some of them didn’t wear a  Hejab at all.  Most of the girls had a beauty spot in the middle of their forehead. Their chairs were very strange and huge. They all had bushy eyebrows and they wore big and loose clothes. This photo shows the faces and races of different people. Maybe these two are twins, they could be enemies. The look on the kids on the right hand side shows they are enemies. The kid on the left hand side is very calm and innocent. The picture behind them shows the art of paining was existed. I think the kids on the left hand side is older. This picture goes back to 20 years ago, that shoes Ancient Iranian local costumes. Its obvious from his face that he is capable, moody, selfish and rich. This picture shows aloofly person in his own thought and it is obvious that he hasn't combed his hair. In the name of God, This photo shows us that is a very old photo. These mirrors, especially these doors , in my opinion are very old and these walls are very old, these walls are dented, also these clothes, trousers, shoes and hats. As a result , this photo shows the time of someone very young and he didn’t have a good life. In the name of God The kids who lived a long time ago compared to kids who live these days are very different, for example their clothes compare to our clothes are very different. Their clothes are very simple but our clothes as the saying goes are fashionable. The children from the past have more dignity compare to kids from present. Their respected  their parents very much but they were very ugly, but it might just be our opinion as we are more modern. But because they used to have lots of dairy and good quality food so they were always healthy. They didn’t care about their hair and their looks , they only cared about their manners.  In the name of God 1- In the olden days , children hats were cylindrical and long. 2- In that time the rich people had neckless. 3- Children wore beautiful traditional clothes at that time. 4-In the past most of the children’s name were the names of the kings of that time.  4- Most of the children names were chosen after the kings and rulers of that time.  5-All the clothes were almost similar. 6-In that time, people were hand made shoes called Qivah.   7- the children were very well behaved in that time.  8-they were taller. 9-the hat they used to wear that time were totally different from what we are warning now. This picture belongs to an old period of time. There are 3 boys in this picture, The father is holding a baby in his arms and sitting in the middle of the others two boys, they are twins. The way they have dressed up shows that their father is a Ruler(leader). This ruler has bought a sheep to sacrifice for God for having his 3rd son. These three boys have black hats. This father is sitting between his two older sons.There is a hand on one of the chairs, it might be their servant or somebody else.  This child is sitting on a chair. I feel like living during those time was very hard. I know that child is very upset. The child in the village customs sitting on the chair. He is very upset because God gave him good , healthy leg but unfortunatly for him, he has lost it! I would be very upset and sad if I was him. I wish them well under ground. Good bless. Hamzavi This girl in the photo is upset, but her clothes doesn’t look bad. Maybe wearing these clothes and a big tall hat is very difficult and that makes her upset. There are six boys in this picture, who lived a long time ago. The two boy’s names in the picture aren’t very cleared I think they are the sons of a ruler(Khan) because their clothings looks like special clothing of a Ruler’s sons. This child can do so much in his childhood and he can become a very good boy. Because children who lived long time ago were not as clever as us. This kid has no idea about his clothing, he doesn’t know where his Mum and Dad are, and he wants to see his real parents very soon and that is the reason he looks very sad.Tis child is upset because he can’t move and use his legs, this boy’s room is very dark. Shirin Ardeshiran I think this picture is not very clear, but from what I understand these two boys are in the nature. They are sitting on two sofas in a garden. We know people used to live in a very difficult situation in the past and we should really enjoy our lives now. This child has a huge pride in my opinion, but he can be very successful in the future if he puts his pride aside! I know this is a very old picture and the girls faces not clear and her coat is not very nice. But this picture might have been taken during Qajar time. These children are from the past, but I don’t Know when this picture has been taken and why these tiny kids are wearing these big clothes and why they are so similar and they are so ugly. Maybe this photo belongs to Achaemenid Empire or Sassanian or Samanid ear, or maybe they are princes and princesses and that is why they are wearing these huge Clothing or maybe they are twins and that is why they lookalike.