... Mirrors With Doors

Eastern thought alongside mysticism and tradition is the reason of a kind of theory in life. In this theory, everything is hidden in an aura of ambiguity (or mystery) despite the Western post-modern world. This theory can be understood by knowing Iranian Culture and its signs. This theory, which is sometimes complicated and flaky, has made the West puzzled for establishing connections with our world (Eastern World); because, understanding our real life and what is passing here like love, selfishness, and hatred proves very difficult.

Working on Mirrors with Doors project was generated since March 2008; a project which I consider unfinished yet.
I have chosen the name of this project from the novel of one of the famous Iranian writers, Houshang Golshiri. All the pictures are taken inside the mirrors without any software insert. The prevailing ideology in this project is based on the Eastern Women’s inside feelings and their complicated feelings.

Mirror is used in our literature repetitively, and it is said that we observe our real self in the mirror, and this observation is a react of our soul which we see by the light of our eyes. The people in our mirrors are all women. My emphasis on photographing Iranian Women goes back to my recognition of their world. Women have played a real significant role in our history. They have been successful in creating many transitions in the culture of this country by trust to their purity and holiness, or hypocrisy. However, they have been cruelled a lot in the Iranian patriarchal world; because, they cannot be themselves freely and follow their independent thoughts in this age, while an anti-human, anti-freedom, religious, and racial government is dominating. The current patriarchal society has been able in a way to imprison women’s thoughts in His Will.

That’s why in my photographs women are imaged depressed in a dark background and with a scarf on their heads, as the Iranian man has asked them to be behind a veil. The Geranium Flowerpots and clothes are a reference to the past traditions. At a not very far time ago, geranium flowerpots were used to decorate any Iranian yard. Colorful clothes were men’s gift to women. These gifts were kept in women’s caskets to get changed to dress at a suitable time.

And this is the last word: it is too simplistic to think that it is possible to put a veil on Iranian Woman’s thought forcefully, and steal the light of this modern age’s intellect from her eyes.

Mina Momeni / 2008

... You Are Not Alone

From the ancient times till today's post modern world, a woman has been a complex creature and sometime a sealed secret: a labyrinth who has once been a symbol of goodness and therefore praised; whereas, she has also been treated as demon and condemned of female subtlety and craftiness.
How is it really possible to consider a woman as the goddess of goodness and impeccability to the extent she becomes the source of creation? And how come she will also be seen as a sly witch fomenting verily? The tale of woman is an old one which has inspired the creation of numerous works of art throughout centuries _ a story interwoven with myths throughout history. One can hardly ever find narrations in which there is no trace of women.

Myth (Mythos in Greek) was referred to as legend, tale, dialog, and speech. But later on Greeks used this word to refer to something that cannot exist in reality. For primitive human beings, myth was a true story and was considered as a precious treasure due to its sacredness, uniqueness, and meaningfulness.
The myth of woman, whether it be a goddess or a demon, is graceful and enchanting. This heterogeneous charm has not been faded away in the modern world either, for human beings can never consider themselves self-contained and independent from myths. Men have always tried their best to justify the vague and dark points of their existence under the shadow of myths’ presence.

In the old narrations and scripts of the ancient world, the goddesses were symbols of life, love, and bounty; however, even these goddesses of goodness sometimes resort to subtlety and tricks. Inanna was the goddess of love; however, to achieve prosperity she played tricks and took control of divine rules. Anahita was the goddess of water, and there have been a great deal of stories in describing her womanly/motherly beauty all of which were good. She appears powerful, graceful, and wise in the form of a goddess representing love and fertility since the spring of life runs by her existence, and this way she turns into a mother/goddess.

The myths never die, yet for several different reasons they change their face in their social evolution and transition. They might hide their visible image and are only reflected indirectly in individual and group behavior. In other words, even among the contemporary human beings, we sometimes notice the birth and flame of unique myths.

The innate and mysterious complexity of women has a blazing image. This image together with wisdom and knowledge will create a brilliant and multi-layer combination which is sometimes referred to as hypocrite; however, to unravel the secret of this thousand-year-old spell is only possible by seeing and reading the heart. Otherwise, these faces are only pieces of this thousand-piece mirror of truth, pars of which are in our hands.

Mina Momeni / Fall 2007