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About the Story
Shadi Ghadirian is an Iranian artist based in Tehran, born in 1974. She gained recognition in 1998 with her Qajar series. The Qajar era refers to the period of Qajar rule in Iran from 1789 to 1925. The Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin holds some of her artworks in its permanent collection. In the following conversation, we discussed her Qajar series, photography in Iran, identity, and the audience's engagement with her art.
How the Qajar Series Was Born
The idea for the Qajar series emerged...
...while Shadi Ghadirian was working on her bachelor’s thesis. At the time, she was employed at the Tehran Museum of Photography (also known as City Photo Museum, or Aks Khaneh-ye Shahr_ عکسخانه ی شهر), a museum founded by her mentor and professor, Bahman Jalali (1944-2010). Ghadirian’s work involved handling old photographs from the Qajar era. She printed 40 to 60 glass plates daily. Reflecting on this experience, she explained: "It became clear to me that my thesis project had to be connected to these old photos. By then, I had seen so many of them that even taking photos of my parents would unconsciously resemble Qajar-style photographs.”
She decided to recreate the photographs she was printing. Simply remaking them, however, didn’t feel satisfying enough to her. She wanted to introduce another element to the project, something that reflected her everyday life, something contemporary.
"I felt that we were still deeply connected to our past, at least my generation at that time." she explained. "But at the same time, we were trying so hard to be modern and to build a modern life. We were embracing everything that came from the West and accepting anything labeled as 'modern.'"
Ghadirian’s models were her friends and relatives. She borrowed old costumes from the television costume department and incorporated contemporary items she considered iconic at the time, such as a Pepsi can or a phone, placing them next to her models. Throughout the process, she aimed to maintain simplicity in her compositions, reflecting the aesthetic of the past.
Another reason for her interest in the Qajar era was its association with the introduction to modernity in Iran.
Modern innovations including photography, were widely practiced in Iran during this period. Photography was first introduced in Iran in 1842, only a few years after Louis Daguerre perfected his Daguerreotype process in 1839.
The Qajar ruler Naser al-Din Shah took great interest in the medium...
...imported cameras from Europe and became an avid photographer himself. Naser al-Din Shah took numerous photographs particularly of the women in his harem. His photographs are often identified by his handwritten note accompanying them: "I took it myself" (خودمان گرفتیم).
The Gap Between Tradition and Modernity and How It Has Changed Over the Years
The central theme of Ghadirian's Qajar series is the ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity. She believes this contrast still exists in our lives in Iran, although it looks different today. With the rise of social media and the growth of technology, she observes that the world feels much smaller.
"From where I stand now, in this age, after traveling so much over the years, I feel that people and their lives are not so different after all." she explains. “Of course, where we live affects our experiences and how things appear on the surface, but deep down, we are all very similar.”
“I remember my first exhibition outside Iran; It was so strange and surprising for everyone to see a young Iranian woman showcasing her work internationally. Now, with advancements in technology, things have become more accessible, and the world feels much more connected. Now we know more about each other. Iran is not as isolated as it was in 1998, and our experiences are more understandable to others. Getting to know each other has become easier.”
How the Photography Scene Has Changed in Iran Since 1998
Back in 1998, Iran was in the midst of a reform period, following the Islamic Revolution and the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. At that time, the dominant forms of photography were journalistic, documentary, and war photography. The prominent photographers of the era focused mainly on these two types, and art photography was rarely pursued. As a result, galleries in Iran were primarily dedicated to painting and sculpture, and there were very few that exhibited photography. Documentary or journalistic photography was not seen as suitable for gallery exhibitions, and galleries were not interested in showing other kinds of photography because they believed no one would buy them.
Ghadirian says that even convincing the university to support her work was challenging. “They used to tell me, ‘Your idea sounds more like a game. Work on something serious.’ Or They asked, ‘What does it mean to stage a photo?’ they would advise me to go out instead, look around, and take real photos.”
Her first exhibition faced similar challenges, particularly because she wanted to showcase not just photographs, but portraits of women. Given the social and political climate at the time, this was a challenging proposition. However, things took a turn when Kaveh Golestan (1950-2003), another well-known photographer, agreed to exhibit her work at his sister’s gallery, Golestan Gallery.
From there on, things changed quickly. People loved Ghadirian work, and she sold many pieces. With the support of Rose Issa (b. 1949), an Iranian curator, Ghadirian’s path to international exhibitions began.
Ghadirian and the Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin
"Having your work exhibited in a museum is a dream," she says.
"It means that many different and diverse groups of people will see your work. And what could possibly be better than this?"
She continues by explaining that as an Iranian artist, when she begins working on a project—often centered around the social situation in Iran—she subconsciously assumes that the audience will be Iranian and will interpret her work in the way she intends. However, when her work is shown in another country, to a diverse audience she cannot predict, the meaning and interpretation of her art are no longer under her control.
"And that is such an exciting feeling," she adds.
Iranian Audience vs. Foreign Audience
In 1998, the Iranian audience connected deeply with the Qajar series. It presented a fresh, new voice, and the message resonated with them. This sparked a wave of artists incorporating elements of the Qajar era into their own work, to the point that people eventually began to complain, saying, "Enough with Qajar!"
Ghadirian felt a sense of responsibility for everything that followed in the Iranian art scene. The exhibition of the Qajar collection sets a new record for sales in Iran. It was the first time the idea of buying photographs and displaying them on walls truly took hold, even among collectors, who were not accustomed to this concept. “I was young, recently graduated, and what was happening was both terrifying and amazing,” she recalls.
Around the same time, after more than 20 years of silence due to the revolution and the war, Iranian artists were finally able to travel abroad and showcase their work. The doors to the outside world had opened. Foreign audiences also understood the message of the Qajar series. For them, the photographs felt like Victorian images. They didn't know much about Iran or its artists. "They were interested in me not just because of my work," Ghadirian says. “What people outside of Iran had seen in the media about Iran and Iranian women was often limited and mostly distorted. It was fascinating for them to see a young woman, in jeans and looking like themselves.” she laughs.
Women in Qajar Era
“Twenty to thirty years ago, I have to admit, I had a different view of these women. What I couldn’t understand—and what made me look down on them—was, for example, the fact that they had accepted to be part of the king’s harem, living with almost 400 other women and leading their lives in such a way.
Now, I see them differently. I'm impressed by them. I realized how many inspiring figures there were among them. Nowadays, everyone recognizes how impressive Iranian women are and how they’re making groundbreaking changes in society on their own. Back then, I thought they were limited. Now I understand how important their role has been in Iran’s history.”
Influential Iranian Female Photographers
Shadi Ghadirian spoke about two influential female photographers who have inspired her. These women, Hengameh Golestan (b. 1952), and Rana Javadi (b. 1953), were both partners of two significant male figures in her career, Jalali and Golestan. “Both are amazing photographers,” Ghadirian says, “although their work was, in some ways, overshadowed by the prominence of their husbands.
Still, their photographs from the Revolution remain among the greatest images of contemporary Iran. Hengameh Golestan’s photos of the first International Women’s Day in 1979, following the Islamic Revolution, when women protested against the newly imposed compulsory hijab law, remain the most famous and widely recognized images of that event.
How Identity Shapes the Creative Process
“I’ve changed a lot since 1998. I was a young, ambitious woman back then. I've experienced and endured a lot over the past 30 years. Things are constantly changing where I live, and now I have a daughter, whom I’m always worried about. I want her to understand her rights. These experiences have all shaped me and made me who I am.
If an audience doesn’t know who I am, where I was born, and where I come from, of course, their interpretation of my work might be different. But I do believe that our struggles are all very similar. I also now choose subjects that are more global. In my latest collection, the main theme is about humans and their loneliness.”
Ghadirian’s art serves as both a mirror and a window—reflecting her experiences and offering glimpses into universal truths. Her evolving perspective reminds us that, although shaped by history and culture, our stories are intertwined in ways that transcend borders and time.
About the Author
Pooneh Yekta studied film and media and currently coordinates the project “Multaka: Museum as a Meeting Point” at the Museum for Islamic Art in the Pergamon Museum.
This story is part of the project "Crossroads Iran (ایران: محل تلاقی)", supported by the Ludwig Foundation through the Friends of the Museum for Islamic Art. The project explores and highlights narratives with Iran at the crossroads of cultural exchange and artistic influence. It aims to connects museum objects with archival photos, making them accessible through stories and videos on the online portal.
Discover the online photography exhibition
Capturing Iran’s Past
Capturing Iran’s Past. Fotokunst – PhotoArt – هنرعکاسی was a special exhibition of contemporary Iranian photography in the book art gallery and the Mshatta Hall at the Pergamon Museum from 7 November 2019 to 26 January 2020. Now viewers can explore the five series from the Museum for Islamic Art in an online exhibition on Google Arts & Culture.
The virtual exhibition takes us on a journey through Iran’s past as encountered by four contemporary artists ‒ Shadi Ghadirian, Arman Stepanian, Najaf Shokri, and Taraneh Hemami. Their works conceived from varying perspectives consider the historical conditions behind Iranian Modernism.
Take a digital tour to learn more about the multifaceted histories of the artists’ personal and collective communities.
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