Iran, Untitled 2014

This is an untitled photograph by Gohar Dashti, made in Iran. It depicts a group of women seated on an upholstered sofa, set in an arid, open landscape. Dashti's work often explores themes of identity and representation in post-revolutionary Iran. Born in 1980, Dashti grew up in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq war and her work often reflects the impact of those events on personal and collective memory. In this image, the women are dressed in black, their faces framed by dark headscarves. The uniformity of their dress may at first read as a symbol of religious conformity but consider the act of gathering together and the symbolism of the domestic scene played out in the public sphere. What alternative narratives are being developed through this piece? The women’s gaze, hidden behind sunglasses, withholds any easy answers. Dashti once said "My work is rooted in the lived experience of Iran." Through this lens, the photograph becomes a powerful meditation on the complexities of womanhood, resistance, and the search for self-expression within prescribed social roles.