| Afshan Ketabchi belongs to a new generation of Iranian women artists. They occupy a position in the art world, where the effects of globalization are evermore clearly apparent. The West has diverse images of Iran, between clichés of tyranny and despotism on the one hand, and wisdom and sensuality from One Thousand and One Nights on the other. Ketabchi’s photographic orchestrations, the Harem series, depict a clash between Eastern traditions and Western influence. She also tackles the theme of gender relationships and the position of women who live in Iran. The word “harem” comes from the Arabian “haram,” meaning “forbidden.” Later, it came to mean “protected” and “reserved.” |  |
Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde
Afshan Ketabchi belongs to a new generation of Iranian women artists. They occupy a position in the art world, where the effects of globalization are evermore clearly apparent. The West has diverse images of Iran, between clichés of tyranny and despotism on the one hand, and wisdom and sensuality from One Thousand and One Nights on the other. Ketabchi’s photographic orchestrations, the Harem series, depict a clash between Eastern traditions and Western influence. She also tackles the theme of gender relationships and the position of women who live in Iran. The word “harem” comes from the Arabian “haram,” meaning “forbidden.” Later, it came to mean “protected” and “reserved.” There is much imaginative speculation about the life of women in the harems of the Oriental rulers and was a source of great fascination in the West.
Ketabchi refers to traditional Qajar images of odalisques, and draws inspiration from Persian miniatures, then incorporates sly erotic references. Costumes, masks, and props form a mixture of contemporary and historical elements. Using metaphors to express the forbidden is Ketabchi’s strategy to address “taboos” that “only fire the imagination on young people of our society,” Ketabchi says. The glossy pictures have a brown tinge, making them look like old photographs, where this idea is made completely absurd with props such as leather bras and fluffy earmuffs. At first, one can see a portrait in the style of Old Masters like a history portrait, then an ironic touch is introduced, making the Harem series a place of masquerade and imagination. In addition to the Harem images, Ketabchi draws inspiration from the Persian miniatures, which she uses to mix together contemporary and historical elements.
The artist probes both the image of the seductive Oriental women and the image of the woman as a powerless victim, and takes taboos such as sexuality, desire, and the female body as her themes.
