Iran, Untitled 2014

Gohar Dashti made this untitled image in Iran, using photography to capture a quiet, staged scene. There's a dreamy quality to the light, a kind of muted palette, and I wonder if she found this landscape ready-made, or if she spent time making tiny adjustments to reach such perfect harmony. The focus shifts between the expansive, almost barren landscape and the small group of people gathered on a rug. You can almost feel the texture of the earth, the dryness of the air. The people are arranged in an intimate cluster, like they're sharing secrets or maybe just enjoying each other's company. It’s an oddly moving tableau, and I keep wanting to know more about what's going on! Like Jeff Wall, Dashti uses a cinematic approach to her still images, but her work has a quieter quality, a sense of everyday life unfolding within a larger historical context. And just like painting, it lets us consider the world around us with new eyes.