Newsha Tavakolian ( fa, نیوشا توکلیان; born 1981) is an Iranian
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 ...
and
documentary photographer. She has worked for ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...
'', and ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
''. Her work focuses on women's issues and she has been a member of the
Rawiya women's photography collective which she co-established in 2011. Tavakolian is a full member of
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in New York City, Paris, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...
.
Career
Born and brought up in
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 ...
, at age 16, Tavakolian took a six-month photography course,
[ after which she began working as a professional photographer in the Iranian press. She started at the women's daily newspaper '' Zan'', and later worked for other nine reformist dailies, all of which have since been banned.][ She covered the July 1999 student uprising, using her Minolta with a 50mm lens, and her photographs were published in several publications.][ However she was forced to go on hiatus from her photojournalist work following the "chaos" of Iran’s presidential election in 2009. During this time, she began other projects focusing on art using photography as well as social documentary. Tavakolian’s photographs became more artistic and involved social commentary.
She got her international break in 2001 at age 21, when she met J.P. Pappis, founder of Polaris Images, New York at a photography festival in Perpignan, France. She began covering Iran for Polaris Images, in the same year, and started working as a freelancer for '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'' in 2004.
Tavakolian has worked internationally, covering wars, natural disasters and social documentary stories in Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
, Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...
.[Biography and introduction of Tavakolian]
in Persian Her work has been published by international magazines and newspapers such as ''Time'' magazine, ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'', ''Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Or ...
'', ''Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...
'', '' Colors'', ''New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
'', ''Der Spiegel
''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'', ''Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'', ''NRC Handelsblad
''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands.
History
''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...
'' and ''National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
''.
Common themes in her work are photo stories of women, friends and neighbours in Iran; the evolving role of women in overcoming gender-based restrictions; and contrasting the stereotypes of western media.[ Her photo projects include ''Mother of Martyrs ''(2006), ''Women in the Axis of Evil'' (2006), ''The Day I Became a Woman'' (2010) and ''Look'' (2013).
In 2014, Tavakolian won a 50,000 euro photojournalism prize from French investment banker Edouard Carmignac and his foundation, the ]Fondation Carmignac
The Fondation Carmignac is a Paris-based organization that bestows the Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Awards, which are held yearly. It was established in 2000 by Édouard Carmignac. The organization has a publicly accessible art collection ...
. Tavakolian was to create her vision of Iran with a project she called "Blank Pages of an Iranian Photo Album." This project followed the lives of a diverse group of Iranian people who had been teenagers during the revolution. To Tavakolian's dismay, Carmignac wanted to tamper with her work. He insisted that she give the project a cliché title, "The Lost Generation," as well as removing the accompanying text that discussed her experience living in Iran. Tavakolian said, "I am not a delicate flower. I just want to take responsibility for my own work. Defend myself? I can. But if someone else paints me into a corner, how can I defend myself? I have covered a lot of events here, but always with me being responsible for my decisions." Tavakolian has since returned the reward. Her decision stems from her sentiments towards the West, as she actively denies Western influence on her art. This is central to her career as an Iranian artist. She stated, "When we’re stuck on getting the West to understand Iran, our work remains on the surface. I want to tell Iranians' story to Iranians themselves, this is where I can challenge myself and go deeper into the more complicated layers." Her work aims to be devoid of Western influence, as it is not intended for Western audiences. Tavakolian's work continues to be a real, personal representation of Iran. This is the focus of her work.
Tavakolian has had several controversial projects in the Islamic world. Her project "Listen" focuses on women singers who are not allowed to perform solo or produce their own CDs due to Islamic regulations in effect since the 1979 revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
. In addition to creating potential CD covers for female Muslim singers, Tavakolian includes portraits of the female singers, with eyes closed, mouths open, and passion on their faces. These women were so terrified of being photographed, Tavakolian spent almost a year convincing them to participate in the photo shoot. The women in the photographs are all professional singers who have stifled careers. According to the Islamic tenet, women are not allowed to sing to men. To make a living, these women can only sing at all-female parties, sing background vocals, or perform outside Iran. Thus, her work can be considered highly controversial to Muslim societies, in addition to countries that champion Islam.
In June 2016, the Media Development Authority
The Media Development Authority (abbreviation: MDA) was a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
History
MDA was formed on 1 January 2003 by the merger of Singapore Broadcastin ...
(MDA) of Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
censored 33 of Tavakolian's photographs planned for her ''I Know Why the Rebel Sings'' exhibition, as part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts
Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. It is organised bArts House Limitedfor the National Arts Council. The festival is usually held in mid-year for a stretch of one month and incorporates th ...
pre-festival The O.P.E.N. programme, at the last minute. 15 of these photographs, picturing female rebels fighting against ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
, were presented at the show, limited to those above 16 years old, blacked out. Festival director Ong Keng Sen
Ong Keng Sen (born 20 November 1963; ) is a Singaporean director of the theatre group TheatreWorks, which was founded in 1985.
Early life
Ong Keng Sen was youngest of six children born to immigrants from Putian, China. Ong joined the drama cl ...
issued a statement condemning MDA's move and lack of explanation and pointing out that the photographs were already published in the readily accessible ''Time'' magazine, both online and off. "And so we are living with a new terror where we don't know, it is out of our control," he said at the exhibition's launch.
In June 2015 Tavakolian became a nominee member of Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in New York City, Paris, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...
and in 2019 a full member.
In 2019, the Iranian authorities barred her from working in the country.
Personal life
She lives and works in 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 ...
and is married to the Dutch journalist Thomas Erdbrink.
Awards
Tavakolian was part of the 2006 Joop Swart Masterclass organized by World Press Photo
World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding an annual press photography contest. Since 2011, World Press Photo has organized a ...
. In 2007 she was a finalist for the Inge Morath Award
The Inge Morath Award was established by Magnum Photos in tribute to Inge Morath, an Austrian-born photographer
A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together ...
.
Exhibitions
Her work has been exhibited at institutions such as the British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
, the Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum).
LACMA was founded in 19 ...
,[Newsha Tavakolian]
, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum).
LACMA was founded in 19 ...
(accessed 2013-11-16). the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...
and Somerset House
Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...
, London (April 2014) where she was one of eight Iranian photographers included in the ''Burnt Generation'' exhibition. In 2022, Tavakolian's work was included in the exhibition curated by Charlotte Cotton
Charlotte Cotton is a curator of and writer about photography.
She has held positions including Head of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Head of Programming at The Photographers' Gallery, London, ...
, "Close Enough: New Perspectives from 12 Women Photographers of Magnum," on view at the International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...
from September 27, 2022-January 9, 2023. The exhibition's title was inspired by Magnum co-founder Robert Capa
Robert Capa (born Endre Ernő Friedmann; October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a Hungarian-American war photographer and photojournalist as well as the companion and professional partner of photographer Gerda Taro. He is considered by some to b ...
’s quote “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” and features projects from 12 living women Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in New York City, Paris, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...
members.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Official website
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavakolian, Newsha
Living people
1981 births
People from Tehran
Iranian photographers
Documentary photographers
Iranian women photographers
Iranian photojournalists
Social documentary photographers
Magnum photographers
The New Yorker people
Women photojournalists