Gohar Dashti, Untitled #5, from the series "Today's Life and War," 2008, Chromogenic print, 27 5/8 x 41 3/8 in.;
Courtesy of the artist, Azita Bina, and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston; © Gohar Dashti
She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World opens at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, DC, on April 8, 2016, with an opening reception on the 7th, and runs through July 31, 2016. The exhibition "challenges stereotypes surrounding the people, landscapes, and cultures of the region, and provides insight into political and social issues. The exhibition presents more than 80 photographs and a video installation. These provocative works - most created within the last decade - range in genre from portraiture, to documentary, to staged narratives."
Gohar Dashti, Untitled #1, from the series "Today's Life and War," 2008, Chromogenic print, 27 5/8 x 41 3/8 in.;
Courtesy of the artist, Azita Bina, and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston; © Gohar Dashti
"The title of the exhibition is inspired by the Arabic word rawiya, which means "she who tells a story." It is also the name of a collective of women photographers based in the Middle East founded in 2009. Women worldwide have been pioneers in the mediums of photography and video since their inception. This exhibition demonstrates that the work of women photographers continues to resonate on a global scale."
Rania Matar, Stephanie, Beirut, Lebanon, from the series "A Girl and Her Room," 2010; Pigment print, 36 x 50 in.;
Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston; © Rania Matar
"Each artist in She Who Tells a Story offers a vision of the world she has witnessed. The photographers' images invite viewers to reconsider their own preconceptions about the nature of politics, family, and personal identity in the Middle East."
Rania Matar, Reem, Doha, Lebanon, from the series "A Girl and Her Room," 2010; Pigment print, 36 x 50 in.;
Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston; © Rania Matar
Newsha Tavakolian, Untitled, from the series "Listen," 2010; Pigment print, 39 3/8 x 47 1/4 in.;
Courtesy of the artist and East Wing Contemporary Gallery
Nermine Hammam, The Break, from the series "Cairo Year One: Upekkha," 2011; Chromogenic print, 23 5/8 x 23 5/8 in.;
Courtesy of Taymour Grahne
Shadi Ghadirian, Untitled, from the series "Qajar," 1998, Gelatin silver print, 15 3/4 x 11 7/8 in.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum purchase with the Horace W. Goldsmith Fund for Photography and Abbott Lawrence Fund, 2013.571;
© Shadi Ghadirian; Photo © 2015 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boushra Almutawakel, Untitled, from the series "The Hijab," 2001;
Chromogenic print, 47 1/4 x 39 3/8 in.; Courtesy of the artist and the Howard Greenberg Gallery
Lalla Essaydi, Bullets Revisited #3, 2012; Triptych, chromogenic prints on aluminum, 150 x 66 in.;
Courtesy of the artist, Miller Yezerski Gallery, Boston, and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NYC
Our friends at the MFA Boston organized this exhibition in 2013, and Mrs. Karsh gave the introduction for Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan.