Hiding/Hidden

Throughout history, women have faced numerous obstacles when it comes to showcasing their talents and abilities. Societal rules and expectations have often limited their opportunities and prevented them from reaching their full potential.

Unfortunately, these societal limitations have had a lasting impact on women's self-confidence and sense of worth. Many women have internalized the message that their talents and abilities are not valued, appreciated, or seen as such, leading them to feel uncomfortable or insecure when it comes to showcasing their skills.

I started working on these collage series, made out of 80-year-old film magazines, at a time when Iranian women were courageously standing up for themselves and noticed that even in a ‘safe’ society many women are still not able to be fully themselves without feeling monitored or judged. There is this traditional beauty of the film stars in the images, which blinds us from the reality these women experienced behind the staged images.

The series was one of the winners of the Hariban Award 2022, selected for the Guest Room at der Greif with Christoph Wiesner, and shortlisted for Les Boutographies 2023, Hellerau Photography Award 2023, BBA Photo Prize 2023, Critical Mass (Photo Lucida) 2023. The series was published at Revue Colle, ARTDOC Photography Magazine, and F-STOP.