Mohsen Rastani (born 6 January 1958) is an Iranian photographer and

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

. He mainly makes photographs of people on a black-and-white basis with a white background.

Career

Rastani was born on 6 January 1958 in

Khorramshahr Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 170,976, in ...

. He returned to the city in 1982 shortly after the

Liberation of Khorramshahr The battle of Khorramshahr, also known in Iran as the liberation of Khorramshahr ( fa, آزادسازی خرمشهر, translit=Âzâdsâzī-ye Khorramshahr) was the Iranian recapture of the city of Khorramshahr on 24 May 1982, during the Iran� ...

in the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...

. Rastani returned from

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, where he was studying for the entrance exams to the Faculty of Fine Arts. At that point he started photography. He earned in B.A. in photography at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

in 1987. He has lectured at the same institute as well.

Works

Rastani typically photographs people on a white background in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

. He has said it is difficult to exhibit his works in Iran due to people posing for his photos in outfits they wear at home. His work amongst others have covered the Iran–Iraq War, the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

in the late 1980s and the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

in the 1990s. They have amongst others been exhibited at the

MAXXI MAXXI ( it, Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, italic=no, "national museum of 21st-century arts") is a national museum of contemporary art and architecture in the Flaminio neighborhood of Rome, Italy. The museum is managed by a foundation ...

in Rome, Italy. Rastani was one of the four Iranian artists elected to represent the country at the International Art Exhibition of the 2011

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rastani, Mohsen 1958 births Living people People from Khorramshahr University of Tehran alumni University of Tehran faculty Iranian photographers Iranian photojournalists