One of the iconic series “Qajar” by Shadi Ghadirian of Tehran "in which her humorous pastiches set up a cross-cultural and cross-temporal encounter between a nineteenth-century Persian photographer’s European-influenced backdrop and Ghadirian’s contemporary studio props. Ghadirian juxtaposes young women in traditional Iranian dress with what she describes as “modern” objects, such as boom boxes, musical instruments, and makeup. The incongruity between the subjects and their attributes suggests a tension between tradition and modernity and between restriction and freedom within the public and private realms. …

“Now aided by the Internet, Iranians have greater access to the outside world, but until the late 1990s, life was more circumscribed. Ghadirian recalls that specific activities such as playing or listening to music in public, having parties, and wearing makeup were taboo.”

‘Shadow Sites II,’ posted earlier: