Shirin Aliabadi, a multidisciplinary artist known for her images of young Iranian women, died in her native Tehran on Monday (1 October), her gallery in Dubai announced.
In the documentary photographs comprising Girls in Cars, Iranian girls and women (dolled up and adhering to the mandatory Islamic dress code as minimally as possible) are captured while riding in cars in nights out on the town or possibly headed to house parties.
In Miss Hybrid, the artist elaborated on the private-public dichotomy through photographs presenting the modern Iranian woman, complete with peroxide blonde hair, a bandage indicating a nose job (a sign of wealth and status) and, in some cases, a fake tan and lapdog.
As with the subjects of Girls in Cars, the urge of Aliabadi’s Westernised women to engage in what she called “passive rebellion” against state-imposed morality is palpable.
“Girls in Car 2,” & “Miss Hybrid,”
