Rose Garden Photograph

february 27, 1982. Tehran

Born in Iran, Aydin Matlabi moved to Canada at a young age. His family had to leave the war torn country, because of religious fanatics and a high rate of persecution for any libertine mind. Growing up in an impoverished and gang infected neighborhood, Aydin found art as a means to move away from danger. Yet, irony remains that he left one dangerous life for another. Traveling the Middle East, from Iraq to Afghanistan, Aydin had a gift to befriend the most notorious and dangerous individuals and open doors that no other can. Finishing his Master at Concordia University, Aydin Matlabi, is able to bring a new view to fine arts photography. He has reached a new level where he is able to incorporate the medium of documentary photography, the narrative of art history, and the theoretical understanding of mass culture. Traveling the globe and befriending a variety of cultures that varies from drag queen to Taliban. Aydin Matlabi tries to understand the world he lives in while depicting his reality in his work.

My project revolves around Iran and the monumental revolution that has shocked the Islamic world. My trip to Iran this summer was meant to be the concluding chapter of my theses for my Masters in Fine Arts. I traveled there, to my birthplace, in search of images that depict a people with a rebellious spirit, images that span four generations of Iranians, images of a modern Iran and the harrowing struggles the country faces. I arrived there with goals in sight and a clear outlook, and noticed peoples excitement in anticipation for the elections, an excitement that stemmed from the emergence of hope for democracy. Crowds of smiling faces were chanting and breaking into song, they were dancing out in plain sight in a country that has a history of repressing such public displays. Crowds had gathered because for the first time in thirty years people felt they would have a say in the outcome of the elections, they felt they would have a say in the future of their country, a say that would make room for change. Their voices were stifled. A week before the election results I understood the ugly truth about democracy in Iran when I received a blow to the head. As I tended to my wound, I realized that my country was to revisit a violent chapter that had become all too familiar in its history.
I had seen my share of violence and figured I was ready for whatever may be the outcome.