It is extraordinarily difficult for photography in Iran to be recognized as an art form in its own right. It remains unfamiliar to the general public and has a very low profile in the country’s cultural policies. University teaching only began in the 1980s and the first gallery of photography opened as recently as 2001. Nor does it have its own mentor. Even if the Ministry for Cinematographic and Audiovisual Affairs is theoretically responsible, its representatives either know very little about it or neglect it all together. Every year, approximately one hundred enthusiasts from the Photography Faculty leave university with little technical knowledge and no job prospects, to try their luck in an almost non-existent market.
What is the market? The scarce Iranian press outlets seldom resort to photography and if they do, fail to pay for its publication. Advertising is also very limited and agencies work in a vacuum, without the help of any professionals of the fixed image. There is not a single fashion or photography magazine. In other words, photography has yet to find its place…
Furthermore, few administrative bodies, private companies, patrons and local collector buy works of art, not to mention photographs. As for subsidies, they are a pipe-dream that benefit no one… Even within private organizations, no artists’ collective can emerge, for want of a legitimate status.
Nevertheless the recent phenomenon of internet access has offered young photographers a platform for exhibitions and an artistic portfolio. Through the internet, the young Iranian is suddenly confronted with images, often from the West which tell a story. Their seductive appeal encourages emulation. More often than not, this leads to the output of photographs removed from their context and devoid of clues regarding the places, dates or subjects depicted.
Despite an undeniably disastrous situation for most of the population, considerable progress has been made by a handful of artists in the field of the visual arts in Iran – film, photography, comic strips, animation (the Cannes Special Jury Award) – increasingly recognized on the international festival circuit. The international market for Iranian art images is flourishing and prices are soaring accordingly. World-renowned for its originality, the art of photography recently beat all auction records, with some artists finding their works in the most prestigious collections.
Beyond the legitimate tendency for self-glory, it has to be admitted that this unprecedented ebullience, apart from its purely artistic merit, is due to the fact that photography is one of the most effective means of expression. Autobiographical, critical or narrative, Iranian photography relates, reports, advocates help or caution, here and now, without the slightest provocative streak. It exudes a certain kind of nostalgia; sometimes even proclaiming its existence in the world… this is particularly true of the women photographers. Iran is in the process of changing its literary images, as the country of poets, into a country of visual arts.
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