Sara Abbasnejad was born in 1983, in the midst of the Iran-Iraq War, in the tumultuous region of Khuzestan, adjacent to the Persian Gulf.
Upon obtaining a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering – Telecommunications from the university, she made the unconventional choice to leave behind her academic study in pursuit of exploring her experiences and engaging in discussions about the issues surrounding her. Opting to follow photography and video as a self-taught photographer, she decided to embrace the world of art and embark on a journey of learning, seeking a path that allowed her to express her thoughts and experiences more freely.
As a photographer, she initiated her career by challenging binary images from the past and present, as well as those portraying Oriental and Occidental female bodies. Notable projects during her time in Iran included “A Monologue on Love”; “Somewhere to Live”; and “Too Far, Too Close” which gained recognition through exhibitions in both Europe and Iran.
Subsequently, her pursuit of further artistic growth led her to Europe, where she delved into questions surrounding the agency of the photography subject, her identity as an Iranian woman, and the utilization of photography as a medium of expression. In 2021, she commenced her Master of Photography studies in Milan, and subsequently, she furthered her education at the National Academy of Art in Oslo, Norway, pursuing a Master of Fine Arts.
At present, her endeavors are dedicated to a range of projects that delve into multifaceted dimensions of societal issues. She is deeply engaged in unraveling the historical underpinnings of patriarchal violence, meticulously examining the nuanced expressions of resistance and agency embedded within society. Furthermore, she conducts in-depth scrutiny of the archive, with a particular emphasis on the visual archive, and its profound influence on the representation of women’s bodies. Her works center on archival research, with a focus on reinterpreting archival imagery to explore the intricate interplay between power and image. This exploration extends to the processes of redefinition, suppression, and the elimination of women’s agency throughout the annals of history, particularly with regard to Iranian women. Nevertheless, her research also extends its purview, casting a broader gaze upon how these
images serve to establish societal norms and their intricate connections to various power dynamics. In her dedicated quest, she seeks not only to shed light on the historical struggles faced by Iranian women but also to contribute to a broader understanding of how images and representations play a pivotal role in shaping societal norms and the complex web of power dynamics that underlie them.
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