Group Presentation | "OR": Dastan's Basement x E1 Art Gallery

Dastan's Basement, in collaboration with E1 Gallery, is proud to announce the opening of "Ya" ("Or" in Persian), a group photography exhibition on July 18, 2025. Curated by Alborz Kazemi, the collection of photographic and image-based works will be on view through August 1, 2025.

"Ya" is realized with the collaboration of the Baygan Institute, whose support was instrumental in granting access to the archival works. Ghazaleh Hedayat and Mehran Mohajer have also played a significant role throughout various stages of the project as companions. The exhibition features works by: Ahmad Aali, Ali & Ramyar, Ali Bakhtiari, Alborz Kazemi, Arash Hanaei, Arya Tabandehpour, Bahman Jalali, Behjat Sadr, Dorsa Basij, Farshid Mesghali, Fereydoun Ave, Ghazaleh Hedayat, Ghazaleh Rezaei, Kaveh Golestan, Kourosh Adim, Maryam Takhtkeshian, Mehran Mohajer, Mohammad Ghazali, Mohammad Kalantari, Newsha Tavakolian, Parvaneh Etemadi, Pouya Parsa Magham, Rana Javadi, Samira Alikhanzadeh, Saman Khosravi, Sara Ghanbari, Sasan Abri, Shadi Ghadirian, Yahya Dehghanpour.

"Ya" is a narrative of movement within the image, from still frames to forms that emerge from within the photograph and transform into sculpture, painting, or installation. By bringing together artists from various generations and approaches, the exhibition waves diverse encounters between Iranian artists and the photographic medium. At times, the photograph is scratched, burned, fragmented, or recomposed; at others, only a trace remains, like a visual memory. This exhibition seeks to open a space for seeing, comparing, and experiencing varied approaches to photography: from sociological perspectives to formalist inquiries, from archival functions to deeply personal expressions. From the early days of fine art photography in Iran to the current day when artists treat the photograph as a raw material for construction and revision, "Ya" unfolds like the opening episode of a new narrative. It proposes a view in which the photograph, across time and context, shifts in both form and meaning. Each work holds its own conceptual integrity while acquiring new meaning in relation to the others. For its curator, Alborz Kazemi, this exhibition is not only an attempt to open up new ways of standing before the image but also a step toward a nonlinear rereading of how contemporary Iranian art has engaged with photography and photo-based practices.