Gohar Dashti “Slow Decay”

Recently, I came across the works of Iranian artist Gohar Dashti for the first time at an exhibition at the Hong Kong Arts Centre’s “Voice of Tacitness: Asian Women Photography.” Since then, these images have remained hauntingly vivid in my mind. I have never been to Iran nor do I possess a vast knowledge of the country’s history. But from these photographs I can discern the angst and quiet suffering of its people in a country wracked by waves of tumultuous events in the last few decades. This photographic series, “Slow Decay” (2010), is a powerful document.

From Gohar Dashti:

“Today, as disassociated from our surroundings as we are, we remain directly influenced by them. ‘Slow Decay’ captures cruel moments of misery and fatigue without alluding to specific events in time or place. These images explore the depths of the collective memory of a people who have, for generations, suffered silently and tolerated much torment, their bodies disintegrating bit by bit. These pictures tell the tale of what remains to be said, a tale which falls too often on deaf ears.”

Find more about the artist here.

Billy Kung is photo editor at ArtAsiaPacific.