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Within a hair’s breadth exhibition
No 15-06-2023 līdz 20-01-2024
Within a hair’s breadth exhibition
Strasbūrā
Eiropas Parlamentu
Discover contemporary Iranian photography and explore its complex relationship with the reality of the country.
Within a hair’s breadth exhibition
Strasbūrā
Eiropas Parlamentu
The exhibition
The exhibition «Within a hair’s breadth. Iranian contemporary photography» on display in the European Parliament and in the Apollonia Venue in Strasbourg gathers more than twenty artists of different generations and reveals the vitality and diversity of the creative approaches of the ever-growing Iran’s photography scene.
This dynamism, in a country once again shaken by violent political and social turmoil, reveals a need for artists to express their concerns regarding necessary changes. The weight of tradition, the upheavals brought by the Islamic Republic and what is left of them, social protests and new technologies, but also Iran’s vast cultural inheritance, attachment to one’s country and sudden leaps towards the future are some of the many themes that emanate from contemporary creations.
The versatile quality of photography, which produces images ranging from documentary to poetic, captured either discreetly, on the street, or on the contrary through complex and detailed staging in a studio, shared over the Internet more than any other art form, explains in part the wealth and variety of productions in the field. Throughout the last decades, the status of photographer has been sometimes belittled, sometimes tolerated, sometimes celebrated, fluctuations that have never stopped numerous artists to hold it as their own and fight censorship, be it frontally or with cunning and humour.
The different themes tackled here, such as urbanity, social movements or pollution, are designed in an effort to maintain the balance between sensitivity and documentary approach, between dreams of ideals and understanding of the present, while creating an approach to Iran loose from commonplaces and prejudices.
Schedule
| 15.06.2023 - 20.01.2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
15.06.2023 - 20.01.2024
The exhibition "A un cheveu près, aspect de la photo contemporaine iranienne" (Within a hair's breadth) was opened on June 15 by Anne Sander, MEP and Quaestor at the European Parliament. The collection, the fruit of a partnership with the European artistic exchange association Apollonia, is accessible free of charge on the European Parliament's visitor circuit. The exhibition in the EP presents the work of the artists Babak Kazemi and Maryam Firuzi, highlighting the burgeoning Iranian photography scene. The weight of tradition, the upheavals brought about by the Islamic Republic and what remains of it, popular protests, communication technologies, but also the rich cultural heritage, the attachment to one's country and the rapid evolution towards the future, are all subjects that run through contemporary creation. The collection also showcases the richness of photography, from documentary to poetic expression, whether shot on the spot or worked on at length in the studio. It also looks at the status of photographers, sometimes denigrated, sometimes celebrated, sometimes censored, and the tricks they use to bring their creations to life. Other parts of the exhibition are available at Espace Apollonia, 23 rue Boecklin, Strasbourg.