Shadi Ghadirian is using and abusing irony to criticize the dogmatism of the regime, sidestepping with cleverness censorship. Thus, in the serie "Like Everyday" (2001) the artist draws a portrait of fully veiled women whose faces have been replaced by household items such as iron, broom, teapot... Inspired by her own experience of married woman- this serie is made shortly after her marriage to the novelist and artist Payman Houshmandzadeh- her photographs raise the questions, in a critical way, of the status of women in Iran, and beyond refer to the more universal of the woman, which is systematically reduced to alienating domestic work. Now teacher, editor and director of her own Iranian website dedicated to photography, Shadi Ghadirian first became known with the series Untitled series from The Qajar (1998-1999). This serie in black and white depicts the women of her family and friends, who haughty pose in traditional costumes of the Qajar dynasty of the earlier 20th century, accompanied by articles imported from the West and forbidden in Iran such as Pepsi cans, a motorcycle helmet, newspapers, books... Making a parody of orientalist paintings, Shadi Ghadirian also highlights the schizophrenia of iranian women, who, despite the marginalization and oppression are more than ever in search of openness and modernity.
Ghadirian is as many other Iranian artist women looking through her work to regain control of her body and her life by asserting her own identity.
(Photographs from Like Everyday project)
(Photographs from The Qajar project)
Reading and viewing:
Shadi Ghadirian : http://shadighadirian.com/index.php?do=photography
Saartchi Gallery : http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/shadi_ghadirian.htm?section_name=unveiled
Cool Hunting : http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/culture-clash-s.php
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