Shadi Ghadirian

"I am a woman and I live in Iran. I am a photographer and this is the only thing I know how to do. I began work after completing my studies. Quite by accident, the subjects of my first two series were "women". However, since then, every time I think about a new series, in a way it is related to women

....

"When I did the Qajar series of photographs, I had just graduated and the duality and contradiction of life at that time provided the motive for me to display this contrast: a woman who one can not say to what time she belongs; a photograph from two eras; a woman who is dazed; a woman who is not connected to the objects in her possession. It was very natural that after marriage, vacuum cleaners and pots and pans find their way into my photographs; a woman with a different look, a woman who no matter in what part of the world she is living, still has these kinds of apprehensions"

I first discover Shadi when I was researching photo exhibitions for this weekend. This Saturday down at the Cal State Fullerton Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana was hosting an exhibition called "Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets: Iranian Contemporary Art". The artists in the exhibit were Aydin Aghdashloo, Alina Mnatsakanian, Makan "Max" Emadi, Yari Ostovany, Shadi Ghadirian, Hadieh Shafie and Taraneh Hemami

Only one was a photographer - Shadi Ghadirian. Interesting I thought....a female photographer living in Tehran. My interest perked I read an article about her on the Telegraph.co.uk site. "Being a woman in Iran is hard, and working as a woman photographer is even harder," Shadi Ghadirian told the reporter. There's numerous rules such as her photographs couldn't show women's hair. If she violates any of the moral guidelines, her work could be banned. Dang !

I'm not sure which of her series will be showing down in Orange County this weekend but perhaps it might be her "White Square" or "Nil Nil" series which were done in 2008. You can see those here. I admit it is a bit far for me but for readers down in that area, y'all might wanna swing by and check it out which of her work will be on display.

The opening reception is on Saturday November 7th 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Cal State Fullerton Grand Central Art Center
125 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92701



LINKS
Gallery of "Qajar" and "Like Everyday"
Telegraph.co.uk interview with Shadi Ghadirian