This publication is a photographic sensation: the visual dynamics of Iranian photography in all its fascinating beauty and heroic resistance is unveiled for the first time, revealing a rich new aesthetics from inside Iran as well as from the Iranian diaspora. We see innovative responses by photographers living in a country under political restrictions, as well as an important body of work from Iranians who have been living in exile for the last thirty years creating works of great political and cultural relevance. The aesthetic response to political terror is provoking, pioneering, and artistically sophisticated, documenting the willingness of a generation of artists to protect freedom with the weapons of their imagination.

This book offers a surprisingly broad spectrum of artistic expression that outshines the Western mainstream. Among the most renowned photographer-artists are Abbas, Reza Aramesh, Shirin Neshat, Parastou Forouhar, Abbas Kiarostami, Kaveh Golestan, Amiral Ghasemi, and Shadi Ghadirian. Their visual imagery constitutes an exciting and instructive journey for the reader, who may have never had access to these histories before. Each of the thirty-six contributing photographers was asked to supply a statement on his or her life and experience as an artist. It is high time to give a voice and a platform to photographers from Iran.