Unveiled!

“Untitled #2, 2008” from the series Today’s Life and War, pigment print by Gohar Dashti (Iranian)

I was intrigued the moment I got word “She Who Tells A Story” was coming to the MFA, Boston.  In the exhibit that just opened in the Foster Gallery there, twelve Iranian and Arab women photographers present contemporary narratives about their ordinarily veiled and sequestered lives in a region that is off-limits to most Westerners.  In fact, much of what is exhibited here cannot be shown publicly in their own countries.  This is a rare view, indeed, revealing the artists’ insight and creativity with piercing grace.

From the series Qajar (1998), gelatin silver print by Shadi Ghadirian (Iranian)

In pieces ranging from fine art to inventive photojournalism, these artists examine the complexities of female identity, reflect on the power of politics and offer poignant commentary on the legacy of war.  The show is broken into three sections: “New Documentary”, “Deconstructing Orientalism”, and “Constructing Identities” but there is lots of cross-over and I got the feeling these distinctions were more of a convenience than anything else; they created a way for curators to elucidate important facets of the work.

“Bullets Revisited#3, 2012” C-print tryptich on aluminum by Lalla Essaydi (Morrocan)

Much consideration is given to the idea of “Orientalism”, the Western tradition of depicting Middle Eastern and East Asian women in a romanticized, mystical and often seductive manner, a fantasy that “reflects the goals of colonialism and imperialism”.  Lalla Essaydi’s “Bullets Revisited #3” is reminiscent of such stylized paintings, but the decorative patterns that cover and surround the comely young woman’s body are composed entirely of gold and silver bullet casings, referencing the violence of the recent Arab Spring.  Many other images in “Deconstructing Orientalism” are critiques of the depictions of women, especially regarding the hijab (head scarf).

“Untitled #VII, 2002” from the series Negative Incursions, pigment print by Rula Halawani (Palestinian)

The images in the “New Documentary” portion of the show offer a fresh, personalized perspective on photojournalism.  In a stunning and effective commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Rula Halawani enlarged and printed her negative images, producing the effect of night vision cameras used in the military.  Her photographs are styled in a documentary tradition, but the negative values intensify the drama of her scenes: people taking cover, fleeing, grieving.

From the series Nil Nil (2008), pigment print by Shadi Ghadirian (Iranian)

In large color prints evocative of lusciously painted still-lifes, Shadi Ghadirian juxtaposes – often subtly – the objects of war into the home front.  In this way, she contrasts the roles of men in war with the women at home, waiting for them.  Her photographs of belongings, absent their owners, create a sense of waiting that is nearly tangible; their very stillness made me hold my breath.

“Untitled, 2008” from the series Today’s Life and War, pigment print by Gohar Dashti (Iranian)

With irrepressible humor and irony, Gohar Dashti (in her own words) “creates moments that capture the ongoing duality of life and war, without precluding hope.”  In her series Today’s Life and War, she places a young couple in everyday scenarios: driving their wedding car, eating breakfast, watching TV, celebrating with a cake.  And in each scene, they appear oblivious to their outlandish and threatening surroundings: war-torn battlefields, littered with detritus, delivered in muted tones.  Occasionally there are small hints of bright colors, symbolizing glimmers of hope.  Her work is a tour de force.

From the series Listen (2009), pigment print by Newsha Tavakolian (Iranian)

In images that run from the highly politicized to the deeply personal, the portraits included in the “Constructing Identities” section of the exhibit offer commentary on both distinctly regional differences and commonalities that exist across cultures.  Newsha Tavakolian’s desperately sad and beautiful series, Listen, features close-up, rich color portraits of professional Iranian singers against glamorous, sequined backdrops reminiscent of pre-revolutionary TV shows.  Now, such public performances are strictly forbidden.  So the women are shown, with eyes closed and mouths open in song, silenced.   According to the artist, they are “imagining a dream…facing a world that adorned them with a false crown.”  In an adjoining series of imaginary CD covers by the same artist, singers pose with sardonic titles like, “Don’t Forget This Is Not You” emblazoned across the fake CD, underscoring the limitations on their freedom.

A cross-cultural theme of developing feminine identity is touchingly explored in Rania Matar’s series of portraits of Lebanese teenagers photographed with their belongings in the most personal of spaces, their bedrooms.  She has created a parallel series with girls from the US, not exhibited here.  Nonetheless, she successfully explores the shared experience of coming of age, portraying individuals poised between youth and adulthood, freedom and restriction and, in these images, Eastern and Western culture.

I’ve touched on merely a portion of the remarkable photographs in this fascinating and moving exhibit.  The MFA states that the show is “an invitation to open cultural dialog that begins with art”; they have accomplished this and so much more.  “She Who Tells A Story” runs through January 12, 2014.  (All images courtesy of the artists and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.)