Theatre Troupe by Ramin Haerizadeh (December 25, 2009) 
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Introduction by Fariba Farshad
Ramin Haerizadeh’s playful photographs are part Cindy Sherman, part Sadegh Tirafkan. In his Theatre Troupe series he explores theatre from the Qajar period in Persian history, when men would play the parts of women. Haerizadeh re-enacts a popular theatrical scene of a marriage as an example of how strange this might have looked, wrapping his puckered face in a flowery chador. Amusing though this may seem, there is a serious issue here ‘In those troupes you were trained to lie, to live parallel lives and that links with these closeted men for me. There’s an interior and an exterior, and depending on how obscene or extreme you are, then your interior can become vast.’
Read Fariba Farshad's general introduction on her week of Iranian photographers here.
Next / Vivid Colours, Muted Backgrounds / Previous / Beyond The Limits Of Portraiture /
Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
Ramin Haerizadeh is an Iranian economist graduate-turned photographer, his reputation is firmly in the ascendance, with a string of acclaimed international exhibitions already under his belt.
At first seemingly simple, Haerizadeh's photographs are nonetheless visually as well as intellectually complex. The meticulously crafted components within each work behave in unexpected ways and culminate in an immaculate finish. Reminiscent of the traditional motifs of Persian tapestries, architecture, fabrics, and carvings, Ramin Haerizadeh’s work reconfigures the decadence of an ancient civilisation into lusciously futuristic tableaux. Printed as large photographs, his computer manipulated imagery conveys all the sumptuous associations of history within their super-slick modern surfaces. Using these appropriated forms as departure point for invention: Haerizadeh transforms tradition, myth, and legend into the realm of virtual reality, subverting convention through high-impact graphic design and digital modelling.
Nothing in Haerizedeh's images is quite as it seems. His giant pieces (each 100 x 150 cm) invite the viewer into a strange, dark, day-glo world, full of deception and skewed unreality. His photographs reflect the colours and composition of everyday life. However, through techniques and devices, he proceeds to trash the absolute realism of photography by subverting the image, literally from within. By splitting, mirroring and twisting his images, disorientating and unseen depths come to light - engaging the viewer to reconstruct reality for themselves.
Ramin Haerizadeh (1975) lives and works in Dubai, UAE.
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