SILK ROAD GALLERY

Silk Road Gallery was established in 2001 following a photographic collaboration with Abbas Kiarostami. Our goal since then has been to introduce fundamental and specialized photographic genres as an outstanding part of contemporary Iranian arts and culture, and allow them be appreciated by art lovers in Iran and abroad. The name and symbol behind ‘Silk Road’ was chosen to reflect the gallery’s support for pioneers in photography on the one hand and for youthful creativity on the other. In addition, the gallery is committed to a long-term vision of presenting its artists to audiences locally and abroad. Recently, the gallery began expanding beyond photography and into caricature and humorous painting Along with exhibitions at its gallery in Tehran, the gallery maintains an active participation on the global art scene, with a special geographical focus on the Middle East and Europe.

Silk Road Gallery hosts two parallel photography exhibitions as well as selected pieces from its permanent collection.

“Passage”

This collection of photography with medium format camera is the outcome of my many different trips over several years. Traveling has always been a refuge for me to distance myself from the noise and fray of the city, without which I could never live. Behind this urban penchant for busyness and excitement, I find a deep human desire for a safety that we have created for ourselves to stay together and to stave off danger, to guarantee our survival! The growth of our cities and the formation of our civilizations are predicated on such desire for safety. Nevertheless, outside our urban comfort zones, there is always a place for us in the wilderness. I take refuge in nature to free myself from the eyes and minds of our rulers, or to get away from my mental afflictions, from our daily and habitual constraints, that we feel is imposed on us in one way and another. We form groups with fellow travelers to go on short trips into the wilderness, where things are not predictable and possibly dangerous (…).

Hanna Mirjanian

“Sensitive Points”

Nature is a document to me. A document full of details, like a sensitive page that chronicles every truth. But with one big difference and that is the recording of truth does not relate to one moment but rather the details pile on top of each other over time and then are displayed as a general shape. A documentary image from the present that is constantly changing.

Shahin Esfandiari