A series of photos by Gohar Dashti will be showcased at the ‘Head On Photos Festival’ in Sydney, Australia. This is the first time an Iranian photographer is participating as a guest invitee.
The festival takes place every year in Sydney between May 1 and 31.
Dashti’s two photo series ‘Today’s Life and War’ and ‘Iran, Untitled’ were chosen by the festival curator to be displayed at the Australian Center for Photography. The event is a promotional effort in arts and culture and none of the works will be up for sale.
‘Today’s Life and War’ reveals the complexities of Persian society. The fictional scenes of a couple engaged in activities in a desert explore how history, wars and revolutions filter through contemporary social structures, individual and collective human consciousness.
Shot in an unidentified landscape, the “incongruous” scenes of ‘Iran, Untitled’ are like intense and revealing looks at an ever-changing and diverse society. The photos show a number of people doing random things in a desert. It was previously showcased at Somerset House in London.
Born in 1980 in Ahwaz, Dashti is a photography graduate from Fine Art Faculty of Tehran University. She has developed a practice in photography and filmmaking on social issues with particular references to history and culture in modern society.
Int’l Participation
She has participated in several art residencies and scholarships such as DAAD award (2009–11), Visiting Arts (1mile2 project), Bradford/London, UK (2009) and International Arts & Artists (Art Bridge), Washington DC, USA (2008). She has held various global exhibitions, shown in many museums, festivals and biennales. Her works are in many collections including Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City and Devi Art Foundation, Gurgaon, India.
‘Head On’ is a platform for the passion of photographers, the excitement of the audiences, the beauty of the medium and the issues photography addresses. Through world-renowned exhibitors and speakers, innovative workshops and compelling exhibitions, it is the Australian hub for photographic enthusiasts, professionals and collectors alike.
In 2014 alone, the festival exhibited 55 artists from 18 countries. Festival tours in America, China and New Zealand introduced the international photographic elite and audiences in excess of 500,000 to the wealth of photographic talent Australia possess with great acclaim.
