Sarah Jabbari: "THE FORGOTTEN EMPIRE"
© Sarah Jabbari
A wedding photograph of Mrs. Zari, an Iranian woman, before the Islamic revolution of 1979.
She is offering the Islamic prayer on the right. Tehran, Iran.
Curator’s Statement
Time leaves behind a trail of history which might change its course according to the whims of power. We live in a time, where we create segregation through our stereotypical perceptions.
We are forced to embed images in our minds that are either based on the notion of a better society or the fear of being outcasted. Are we truly becoming global citizens? How do we perceive various histories, cultures, and their socio-political evolution?
How do we realize these changes that discreetly rework its direction and purpose? What does one win and what does one lose over the course of time?
Sarah Jabbari has been away from Iran due to an uncertain future in her own land, revisits her nation of Iran as a visual storyteller, giving us an insight into our ignorance which makes us question our extreme and populistic perception of another land.
Each image we look into gives us an opportunity to relook at fragments of an era, that is now struggling to hold on to its primary cultural philosophy, existence, and beliefs. A sudden development in the system creates a dichotomy in a nation entangled between its past and present forcing a constant turbulence.
Sarah’s images are visually stunning, yet they provoke us with a sense of angst amidst a highly isolated and silent struggle about their identity as Iranians in their true essence.
© Sandeep Biswas, 2023