MEHRDAD NARAGHI
THE HOUSE
THE HOUSE The sense of emptiness of a house whose occupants have departed is somehow striking for me. There is a profound feeling somewhat- strange about the abandoned houses. Most of the time there is a sad story behind it; forced immigration, need for money, grown children who have left or even death. We can feel it through the remains which occupy a place here and there. The things that have been forgotten or ignored to be taken along seem useless now. In addition there are objects with memories which were left intentionally untouched so as to be forgotten or maybe left to be part of a history. Time plays the main role for this abandonment. The pictures of large gatherings, child's birthdays, wedding parties and ... are covered with dust and left on the drawer. Yes these are all reminders that time is passing. Live memories of moments have continued their life and have led us to an essential question. Which one is more real, a person who was sitting on the arm chair and has been recorded in my mind or the empty chair? It's left for me to believe that its typical characteristic of human existence which we can feel, hear and smell even in absence. Mehrdad Naraghi
MEHRDAD NARAGHI Born in Iran in 1978, Mehrdad Naraghi Studied in Sharif University of Technology. His enthusiasm for photography motivated him to complete courses in it and shift his focus from engineering. He exhibits regularly in Tehran and has taken part in many group exhibitions internationally, including Grand Prix de la Decouverte 2013 (Le Salon de la Photo, Paris), 165 years of Iranian photography (MusĂŠe du Quai Branly, Paris) and That Shimmering beast (The Empty Quarter Gallery, Dubai). He also made new experiences to work on his project in Japan as part of a residency program supported by MusĂŠe du Quai Branly in Paris. In addition, his works have been published in magazines and books, including Different Sames: New perspectives in Iranian Contemporary Art, Connaissance des Arts (No 21) and La photographie iranienne, (Un regard sur la creation contemporaine en Iran).