Artist Talk: Hannah Darabi

The School of Art & Design at Alfred University presents virtual lectures by distinguished Iranian photographers Shirana Shahbazi and Hannah Darabi. These presentations offer critical insights into contemporary photographic practices and their intersection with Iranian visual culture. Both artists will discuss their methodologies, research, and contributions to the current discourse in contemporary photography.These lectures, organized in conjunction with the upper-division course Photography in Iran, provide an opportunity for scholarly dialogue and critical engagement with the artists’ work. Both sessions will include time for questions and discussion.

Schedule:

Shirana Shahbazi: Thursday, November 21 at 11:20 AM, Scholes 221
Hannah Darabi: Friday, November 22 at 11:20 AM, Scholes 221

Biographies:

Shirana Shahbazi (b. 1974, Tehran; lives and works in Zurich since 1997) is an internationally recognized artist whose work is held in prestigious public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate Modern, London; Kunstmuseum Zürich; Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau; and Sprengel Museum, Hannover. Her work has been exhibited at major institutions worldwide, including MoMA, New York; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Barbican Art Gallery, London; and the Venice Biennale. Shahbazi has published numerous artist books and monographs in collaboration with Manuel Krebs. She was awarded the Prix Meret Oppenheim in 2019.

Hannah Darabi (b. 1981, Tehran; lives and works in Paris) studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tehran, and the University of Paris VIII-Vincennes-Saint-Denis. Her practice centers on Iran’s complex political landscape through multimedia series that integrate photography with texts, archival materials, and objects. The artist’s book holds a central role in her practice, exemplified by works such as Enghelab Street, A Revolution Through Books, Iran 1979-1983 (Spector Books/Le Bal, 2019) and Soleil of Persian Square (GwinZegal Art Center, 2021), which explores the Iranian diaspora of Southern California through popular music. Her work is held in public and private collections worldwide. Darabi’s recent honors include the Bernd and Hilla Becher sponsorship prize from the city of Düsseldorf (2022) and the Madame Figaro award at the Rencontres d’Arles (2023).