Iran by Alfred - 1979-2009

Alfred Yaghobzadeh – Sipa Press

From 4th to 31st October

Halle Saint-Patrice - 1, place Saint-Patrice - Open daily from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m, open exceptionally Saturday 9th October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Free entry

In 2006, having spent 25 years covering other conflicts, travelling through other countries, meeting other people and describing other cultures, Alfred returned to Iran, where he was born in 1959. What has become of this theocracy run by the mullahs? In Qom, he takes a highly personal look at the daily lives of these “men in black”, and attempts to show the young people who are trying to play with the powers-that-be and defy, as far as possible, the prohibitions of a revolution of which they were not a part.

In 2009, the country was weary of the 30 years spent under the rule of the men in turbans. Following the June elections, it once again slid towards revolt. Alfred, a photo-journalist for the SIPA PRESS agency, did his job and covered the event. His photos of the elections in June 2009 were his last ones on Persian soil. The courts convicted him for "incitement to counter-revolution"....

Iran, 1979. Alfred, a 19-year-old student at the time, witnesses the first riots that shake his home city of Teheran. He, too, would like to go down into the street, join the crowds and “take part” in the events. But he’s not interested in shouting, conflict or violence. His chosen weapon is his camera, his truth is his images, his commitment is to providing evidence. That year, the Shah’s monarchy became the “Islamic Republic of Iran”. And Alfred became a photo-journalist.