German Photographer Explores Shia Traditions, Rituals

Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Art on December 20 will open an exhibition of photos titled ‘Insight: Three Journeys Into the Innermost World of Shia Islam,’ taken by acclaimed German photographer and writer Hans Georg Berger in his trips to Shia-majority countries.

The opening ceremony is to be attended by German art historian, curator, photographer, writer and editor Boris von Brauchitsch, 54. He will conduct a meeting to review the history of media and different approaches to documentation, Iranian Visual Art News Agency (IVANA) reported.

Berger, 62, studied comparative religion and drama. In 1988, he started a series of long-term photography projects involving world religions, including Theravada Buddhism in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as well as Shia Islam in Iran.

In the projects, embodying his conception of “community involvement,” Beger, who was an outsider, tries to mingle with the community he portrays. He invites the surrounding community to guide him where to look, what to portray and how to portray.

Between 2000 and 2005, Berger visited many cities in Iran to document the religious practices and rituals of the people and the ‘hawza’s’ (religious schools) where Shia theologians are trained. The photos he took in this period are included in the exhibit.

Also on display are a series of historical photographs from religious events dating back to the Qajar era (1785-1925).

The exhibit will run through January 2.