PHOTOSTORIES #2

The second in a series of lectures by Aleksandra Szwedo on photography as a medium that not only documents, but also creates, transforms and liberates. This time, the lecture will take as its starting point the work of Shirin Neshat, one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary Iranian photography. Her photographs, as well as her films, present women – both as symbols and individuals – as bearers of the tensions between tradition and modernity, freedom and control, intimacy and social pressure. Other artists, such as Newsha Tavakolian, Shadi Ghadirian, Hengameh Golestan and Malekeh Nayiny, not only document life in Iran, but also address key social, political and cultural issues that Iranians, especially women, face. They use photography to show the tensions between oppression and resistance, and to reflect on the role of art in inspiring social change. We will discuss how photography can serve not only a documentary function, but also an activist one, creating new narratives about identity, freedom and equality.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 19th at 6:00 p.m., admission is free.

More information here.