CREDITS

Shadi Ghadirian and the Identity of Women in Contemporary Society

Shadi Ghadirian (Tehran, 1974) is one of the most influential photographers in the Middle East, whose work explores the complex relationship between tradition and modernity, particularly concerning the role of women in Iranian society. Through carefully composed images, Ghadirian challenges imposed narratives and invites us to reflect on identity, censorship, and gender expectations.

The Like Everyday Series: The Burden of the Everyday

In Like Everyday (1998-2001), Ghadirian transforms the domestic space into a symbol of oppression. Women covered in patterned chadors pose in stark settings, but instead of faces, they bear everyday household objects: a cooking pot, a grater, a cleaning glove. The effect is immediate and striking: their identity has been replaced by the very elements that define their responsibilities.

Each image encapsulates the idea of women as mere extensions of their domestic duties, erasing their individuality. There are no expressions, no eyes to return the viewer’s gaze—only the weight of routine. Ghadirian does not depict explicit suffering but rather a more subtle, deeply embedded invisibility within daily life.

Between Past and Present: Ghadirian’s Visual Narrative

Ghadirian’s work consistently plays with the contrast between the old and the contemporary. In her Qajar series (1998), for instance, she portrays women dressed in 19th-century Qajar dynasty attire while holding modern objects: a vacuum cleaner, a can of Pepsi, a bicycle. This dialogue between eras reveals a disquieting irony: despite the passage of time, certain gender structures remain unchanged.

Her photographs do not seek to be overtly political manifestos but rather to provoke questions. To what extent can women define their own roles in society? How is identity constructed when everything around them reduces them to a function?