New Insights and Perspectives

The Fotohof art gallery in Salzburg, Austria, currently presents the exhibition Soleil of Persian Square with works by Hannah Darabi. The presentation, which continues until January 28, was organised in collaboration with the Centre d'art GwinZegal in Guingamp, France.

At the same time, the showcase Rewriting the Photographic Image is on display at the Fotohof studio, featuring images by Sophia Kesting.

With Soleil of Persian Square, Hannah Darabi investigates the visual identity of the Iranian diaspora lifestyle in Los Angeles. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 caused a wave of mass emigration; as a result, the United States are now home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran. Around one-third of Iranians living in the U.S. have settled in Los Angeles and the surrounding small towns, particularly in Orange County. With her images, Darabi seeks to give a face to the area, which is colloquially known as ‘Tehrangeles’.

Also through to January 28, the Fotohof studio hosts the exhibition Rewriting the Photographic Image by Sophia Kesting. In the course of several research residencies, the artist developed strategies for the analysis and creative appropriation of historical photographic material, based on the collection housed in the Fotohof archive. For her project Rewriting the Photographic Image, Kesting explored the outer reaches of the archive’s holdings – twisting and turning images from a historical slide collection to illustrate photographic techniques, and using these performative interventions to reveal and question media structures and gender roles.