STILL LIFE MEMORIES
STILL LIFE MEMORIES
CREDITS
In Tehran and other Iranian cities, there are numerous female musicians, painters, photographers and other creatives, but they are suppressed by a government that deems their practice to be against Islam. Claudia Willmitzer (1982, Germany) documents the imaginary world of these women in Still Life Memories: a world where they must retreat in order to create without discovery. The images feature a dreamlike, almost deserted world, full of impressive natural landscapes and a serene beach where a woman can be nude without fear of oppression. There are also nods to Iran’s history, sentimental and mellow notions of Persia with unused artefacts, such as an abandoned ferris wheel, the faded primary colours contrasting against the dusty hills behind. The series is a nostalgic look at the past, told through the eyes of women who have to imagine lies and re-construct their identity in order to survive.
