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Art & Books

Gender and Exposure in Contemporary Iranian Photography

GENDER AND EXPOSURE IN CONTEMPORARY IRANIAN PHOTOGRAPHY at Gallery 44 (401 Richmond West), to June 16. 416-979-3941. See listing. Rating: NNNN


It takes subtlety and wit to survive as a contemporary artist in Iran, and those without a talent for layered meaning generally can’t flourish.

This show focusing on gender is a celebration of grace under pervasive cultural pressure.

Most striking is the exhibit’s utter contemporaneity. Arman Stepanian’s photos employ a rich visual poetry to address the situation of Iranian women.

Abbas Kowsari explores the male side, divorcing hyper-masculine images of wrestlers and bodybuilders from their established cultural contexts.

Amirali Ghasemi documents a brief flourishing of coffee-house culture in which bohemian idiosyncrasy and relaxed norms for women thrived for a time.

Ghasemi deftly refers to subsequent crackdowns by excising women’s faces from every photo.

These photographers share a solidarity with all artists who struggle with the limitations and paradoxes of culture, identity and nationality.

art@nowtoronto.com

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