‘The Trilogy: Then…’ showcases three series of black and white photographs from 2009 to 2024 by Iranian Tehran-based artist Mohammad Ghazali. Delving into themes of absence and presence, his work reveals the underlying sociopolitical tensions shaping his city’s identity.
In ‘home.green.’, Ghazali invites viewers to construct narratives from the remnants of the aftermath of the 2009 election protests, symbolised by ‘egg-marked’ buildings, that he captured in the empty streets of Tehran. Rejecting optimism, these photographs reflect on a bruised Tehran, fragmented into various socio-geographical strata, evoking powerful emotions and prompting contemplation on justice, power, and memory.
In ’Persepolis: 2560-2580’ the artist documents what appears to be the construction of the ancient Persepolis, but in fact is a modern road construction site in Tehran. By challenging the viewer’s conception
of truth, this series serves as a provocative inquiry into the dual nature of structures, whilst drawing parallels between historical significance and modern symbolism.
Breaking from his usual small scale format, the exhibition ends with a large solitary photograph. ‘The Stone Knows’ presents a rock found alongside a highway of Tehran, that appears as a witness of the
city through its unperturbed solidity and form. Without disclosing what it knows, its omnipresence hints at futures not yet seen; likely of the enactments of power that propagate through the roads it looks over.
By invoking Orwellian themes, Ghazali prompts viewers to scrutinise the malleability of history and the cunning appeal of photographic truth, opting to capture places rather than people that present realities often overlooked.
