De Santos Gallery Presents: The Veiled Mirror
Contemporary Iranian Photography
Curated by Soody Sharifi
[ Photographs Courtesy of Anahita Ghabaian Etehadieh Director of Silk Road Gallery -Tehran ]

Opening Reception: Saturday May 6th at 6:00. Artist talk at 6:30.

About the Exhibition

News from Iran isn’t all about the country’s nuclear ambitions. Stealing the headlines on the streets, is a word of a new art revolution. Now Houstonians have an opportunity to get a glimpse into this new and vibrant Iranian art scene. 

This underground revolution began with the international success of Iranian cinema, and in recent years has encompassed the thriving scene of Iranian contemporary photographers, whose works have stolen the show.  Major installations in Sharjar and at Bienales in Venice, plus art fairs such as Art Basel, have the drawn interest world-wide.The DeSantos Gallery will display the works of 7 noted Iranian photographers, curated by Soody Sharifi, in a stunning gallery exhibition, opening May 6, 2006.  Featured artists in addition to Ms. Sharifi, are Dadbeh Bassir, Shadi Ghadirian, whose work has garnered great attention since his Paris Photo exhibition, Bahman Jalali, Mehran Mohajer, Malekeh Nayiny, Arman Stepanian and Hamila Vakili.

These photographers all question perceived notions of identity, and each offers a very different and rich interpretation of what it is like to live under a Muslim theocracy.  Each artist has a singular approach to questions of gender, youth culture, an individual’s role in a society, and, inevitably, religion.These Iranian voices reflect the incredible diversity of peoples, opinions, and outlooks that lie at the heart of this often misunderstood culture.  From Iran’s pre-Islamic heritage to the social dynamics among Iranian teens, to intriguing illusions, these photographers have turned their eyes to an Iran that is rarely, if ever, seen in the West.

 Join us on Saturday, May 6, beginning at 6:00 pm, for a unique look at the mystery of Iran.
Artist’s talk at 6:30 pm, by Soody Sharifi.

About the DeSantos Gallery

DeSantos Gallery provides innovative ideas about photography, while maintaining an outstanding reputation for integrity and customer satisfaction.   The gallery is owned and directed by Luis and Gemma DeSantos, natives of Spain and   long-time residents of Houston.  

The DeSantos conceived and built the gallery with Houston architect, Fernando Brave who recently received the 2005 American Institute of Architects Design Award for his building design.   The DeSantos Gallery specializes in traditional and new media photography from contemporary European and Asian photographers, including Anna Halm-Schudel, Roman Loranc, Sang-Nam Park, and Kimiko Yoshida.   The gallery also has work available by North American and Latin American artists, Clyde Butcher, Linda Butler, and Edgar Moreno, among others.