Milan Hosts Photo Exhibition on the Lives of Iranian Women; Farnaz Damani: They Are 'Powerful and Brave'

A photo exhibition in Milan, Italy, showcases various aspects of the lives of women in Iran today. This is the first solo exhibition of Farnaz Damani, a photographer, which opened on Tuesday at the famous 'Arts in Progress 29' gallery in Milan. According to Reuters, an image of a woman in a white chador with intricate patterns standing in front of a hanging Persian carpet may be the most striking photo in the exhibition. This image is taken from behind the woman, blending her fully covering chador with the densely floral patterned carpet. Farnaz Damani, 29, tells Reuters that this photo was taken in Mashhad, a holy city for Shiites and one of the most conservative places in Iran, where women can only be photographed on the condition that their faces are not shown. She added, 'In my opinion, women are invisible in many aspects, but they are very powerful and brave.' According to Ms. Damani, she became a photographer to show the lives of ordinary people to a wider audience. This young photographer lives in Tehran and traveled to various parts of Iran to capture not only photography in other fields but also the lives of Iranian women. In this collection, she depicts the daily lives of women who are engaged at home and in the workplace, in cities or villages. Eighty percent of women in Iran are literate, making them among the most educated women in the Middle East. Farnaz Damani took these photos before the recent nationwide protests that began in Iran last September. These protests erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was in the custody of Iran's morality police, in protest against mandatory hijab laws and continue in various parts of Iran. According to a UN-appointed expert, the Islamic Republic blames these protests on its foreign enemies, and the violent crackdown on protesters by the government may be considered a crime against humanity. Luca Casoli, founder and one of the artistic directors of this gallery in Milan, commented on Farnaz Damani's photo exhibition, saying, 'What surprised us is that some of the images are those that happened in the moment, and very few photographers can capture such moments.' This article is based on a Reuters report.