NEWSHA TAVAKOLIAN: The Garden Inside Her

The exhibition Emotions of the Sun, Magnum Photos has selected the works of eight different photographers at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Big names such as Steve McCurry, Alex Webb, Trent Parke, Olivia Arthur, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, Cristina de Middel, Nanna Heitmann, and Newsha Tavakolian, in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot, show their very personal take on the theme ‘sun’. The result is an exhibition that celebrates the beauty of warmth, brightness, and optimism. Iranian photographer Newsha Tavakolian presents a body of work that invites us to experience a sunny day in her native Iran. The morning light filters through the window of a sparsely decorated bedroom adorned with yellow curtains and a neatly arranged bed, filling the room with warm light, serenity, and hope. She has lived in Tehran all her life and has been focussing on women’s rights in Iran from an early age. Having started her career as a documentary photographer, she went on to portray women in Iran and all over the world.

SLEEK Newsha, what do you think when thinking about light?

NEWSHA TAVAKOLIAN Light in my culture is a metaphor for hope. 

S What are the differences you can see between your own youth growing up in Tehran and the experiences of today’s youth? 

NT My generation grew up in a time when there was more hope. Back then, the state claimed to be committed to reform and creating opportunities for the country’s youth. Ambitions were nourished, and many dared to dream. I was working in a newspaper’s office when I was 16. I was the youngest photojournalist in the country, covering all kinds of news and events. The energy of hope in the country was beautiful, but it did not yield the promised results. It is like being stuck in a constant loop. Things have changed, though. The state has launched a new campaign, which targets women who choose not to wear the mandatory hijab. They say that when you grow up in a political environment, it forces you to become political. But I do not think that is true about the Iranian youth now. They just want their basic rights, personal freedom, and to be able to make their own choices. Because of the internet and through the use of social media, this generation feels virtually connected to the world, but in reality, it lives with many restrictions.

S So, you are saying hope is necessary for being political?

NT Absolutely. But I would not say that if you refuse to take political action, then that means you have no hope. To me, especially as a woman living in Iran, life without hope is nothing. You need to have hope to create light and make people believe that there is a future ahead of them. We have millions of young people in need, especially in times like these, whose hope can be restored through education. For real change to happen, it is important to stay connected to each other, focus on living a meaningful life, and have a vision of what the future could entail. 

S Hope is also the key word for the pieces you are presenting at the exhibition Emotions of the Sun in collaboration with Magnum Photos and Veuve Clicquot in Milan. It was entirely up to the participants to interpret the theme. What was your inspiration for Emotions of the Sun?

NT I am often inspired by the women of Iran, in awe of their power and courage. The events of the past couple of years have influenced my work a lot. As an artist, I have the opportunity to speak with clarity through my camera lens. In the past, I used to tell stories that showed what was going wrong in the world. But recently, I have shifted my gaze. I am not interested in representing what is wrong in the world. What I want to do is cultivate hope and show the courage of people, here in Iran and elsewhere in the world. While brainstorming ideas for Emotions of the Sun, I thought of a woman who has a beautiful garden. The garden needs the sun, and through caring for the garden, she realises that the garden inside her needs just as much care and warmth.

S How did you curate your series of five photos that were displayed? 

NT When I started thinking about the project, I spoke a lot with the team at Magnum Photos, Veuve Clicquot, and curator Pauline Vermare. I was totally inspired by the founder of the champagne brand Veuve Clicquot. I started getting to grips with its founder, Madame Clicquot. Her story as a widow who inherited a business is very inspiring; she was such a clever and influential businesswoman, especially at that time in the early 1800s. Because she was a woman, I wanted to pick up on this theme in my photos. So, I started taking pictures and ended up with about 20 photos. I took one of the photographs we selected for the exhibition in the desert near Tehran. For this photo, I slept in the desert and watched the breathtaking sunrise. 

S How do you feel about the contradiction between the positive and the negative? 

NT When you live in the dark, you know the value of the sun; let’s put it this way. 

S Your work often captures intimate moments and emotions. How do you gain the trust of the people you portray, particularly in sensitive or vulnerable situations?

NT I have been working in my field for about 25 years. I always prioritise the safety and agency of my subjects. People are sensitive and clever. If you are only looking for a story, they may not trust you enough to open up. But if they see that you respectfully take the time to get to know and understand them, trust can be established. It is very important to be patient and listen to people. 

S Do you think that photography has the power to show a certain reality? 

NT It has the power to show any reality, and there are many realities. I share my version of reality in my work. Iran has taught me many things in life. One of them is ambiguity. When people are restricted in their reality, for them, there is only one right way. That is not the case for many Iranians. We learn at quite a young age to be flexible and manoeuvre different intellectual and ideological spaces. Within a single family, there can be a mass of contradictory opinions, each rooted in a firm belief that feels more real than anything else to some. This ambiguity has taught me to be more flexible and endure complicated situations better. I try not to be too opinionated in my work because I do not want to be overbearing. I try to leave room for the reality of the viewer. They should have a part in deciding what my photographs say. 

S So the aim is to teach more people to let certain truths stand next to each other? 

NT Absolutely. It is this juxtaposition of truths that reveals the differences between them, so we can see them more clearly. Additionally, observing things within a larger context can be very insightful.

S How do you navigate the ethical considerations involved in documentary photography, especially when dealing with sensitive or controversial topics?

NT I think people in this line of work have to be sensitive to the situation. It is important how they approach the people they portray, how they capture them, and how they talk to them. It also depends on the person who is behind the camera. Those who photograph without any consideration for their environment or the conditions of their subjects seem quite self-centred to me. I think that it is necessary to document life for the future. I truly believe in documentation. Otherwise, reality gets blurred, especially now with the way AI is impacting things. Now, it is more important than ever to think about who is behind the camera and telling the story.