Exhibitions

My Iran: Six Women Photographers

August 10, 2019 – February 9, 2020

Detail, Somayeh, from Blank Pages of an Iranian Photo Album; Newsha Tavakolian; ELS2019.4.1 © Newsha Tavakolian

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
1050 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC

The artists featured in My Iran: Six Women Photographers explore the complexities of life within and outside their home country. From the dynamism of the street to the quiet corners of distant memories, the works highlight various ways in which artists use photography to respond to personal and political realities. Newsha Tavakolian and Malekeh Nayiny revisit the concept of the family photo album to reveal deeply moving individual stories. Hengameh Golestan’s shots of women protesting in the streets of Tehran following the 1979 Revolution capture the spirit and force of a social and political movement that still resonates today. Shadi Ghadirian and Gohar Dashti offer wry commentaries on post-revolutionary society, while Mitra Tabrizian composes evocative studies of displaced Iranians in London.

My Iran also honors the legacy of Dr. Jahangir Amuzegar (1920-2018) and the Eleanor and Jahangir Amuzegar Fund for Contemporary Iranian Art, which provides ongoing support for programs of contemporary Iranian art.