Reimagined Landscapes at the Photographers’ Gallery

The Photographers’ Gallery is currently hosting Reimagined Landscapes, an evocative exhibition featuring the works of Gohar Dashti, Hamed Noori, Cyrus Mahboubian, and Qiu Yangzi. This collection delves into themes of cultural identity, home, and the experience of displacement, inviting viewers to reflect on the profound connections between landscape and memory.

Iranian artist Gohar Dashti (b. 1980) is known for her deep engagement with the natural world, a theme that is poignantly explored in her latest series, Transformed Landscape. In collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Hamed Noori (b. 1979), Dashti fuses landscapes from their current home in the United States with those from their native Iran. Their work employs geometric patterns inspired by Islamic art, creating surreal collages that highlight universal values found in nature. These compositions reflect the artists’ personal journeys across cultural boundaries, encapsulating the idea of nature as a borderless entity.

Dashti’s 2022 series, Disappearing Nature, further exemplifies her artistic vision. By deliberately altering bucolic Polaroid photographs through burning and peeling, she evokes the precarious state of our planet, prompting viewers to consider the fragile relationship between humanity and the environment.

Cyrus Mahboubian (b. 1986) offers a unique perspective through his Composites, where time becomes an integral part of the artistic process. His approach to photography transforms walking into a meditative practice, with each Polaroid taken without a predetermined path. After capturing these moments, Mahboubian skillfully cuts and reassembles the prints, resulting in dreamlike hybrid landscapes. This exploration of ‘in-betweenness’ mirrors Mahboubian’s own bicultural identity, while the absence of specific dates or locations encourages viewers to engage with the images on a subjective level.

Chinese artist Qiu Yangzi (b. 1989) brings her experience of Shanshui—the Chinese term for landscape—into her ongoing series, Rotation. Her work emphasizes spiritual connection and tranquility, exploring themes of immersion and belonging within urban architecture. Yangzi’s large-format analogue prints challenge conventional perceptions of reality, transforming familiar built environments into disorienting ‘mindscapes’ that provoke questions about orientation and space.

Together, these artists treat the landscape as more than mere backdrop; it emerges as a central character in their narratives of memory, displacement, and the human condition. Their reconstructed, often surreal images reflect the search for belonging amid cultural dualities and the complexities of our fragmented relationship with the natural world.

Prints from the exhibition are available for purchase, starting at £2,000 + VAT, with all proceeds supporting The Photographers’ Gallery’s public program. Interested buyers can also inquire about the Own Art scheme, which allows for instalment payments.

Reimagined Landscapes is a compelling invitation to engage with the nuanced interplay of identity, space, and memory through the lens of contemporary photography. Don’t miss the chance to experience this thought-provoking exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery.

Reimagined Landscapes will be on at the Photographers’ Gallery until the 10th of November 2024.

Image: Garry Knight