"Beyond the Veil"

As an Iranian woman, I have wondered about the reasons that many Iranian women live according to tradition and may avoid expressing themselves openly as I do. As a consequence, I believe many Iranian women may be misunderstood, as they hide behind cultural directives, fostering the development of two faces: private and public. My photographs embody this duality, and portray Iranian women inhabiting this layered existence through doubling, mirroring, and multiple exposures. I draw on Western notions of femininity and feminism to challenge Iranian perceptions of women as second-class citizens. My work acknowledges Iranian women's distinct identities and rights despite the patriarchal societies in which they live; it depicts the differences between who they want to be and who they have to be. Being imprisoned in the dos and don'ts of social enforcement precludes the women in my country from living in the world and embracing their distinct identities. My large-scale, black and white photographs contain layers of data and motion that signify this struggle. Non-traditional portraiture and the abstractions that result from it emphasize gestures and symbols while protecting specific identities. Larger-than-life bodies fill the walls, command attention, and cannot be dismissed.