“IRREXXXSIBLE”
X-RAY PHOTO INSTALLATION, X-RAY FILMS AND NEGATOSCOPE, 19X15X5 INCHES, SERIES OF 12, 2010, IRAN.
Irrexxxsible is a series of twelve x-ray photographs on Negatoscope. These series have been taken in the same posing settings as I would use an optical camera for fashion documentation purposes. This project focuses on young Iranians who were born after the Islamic Revolution, where there is a growing rift between them and the state policies on what is proper to wear in public. While the state views Western fashion as a "Cultural Invasion," the younger population shows more enthusiasm to embrace brands that are affiliated with the day's trend in the West. Irrexxxsible has a clinical and critical approach to show this contradiction. Viewers can see the metal parts, the hard tissue of human bodies, and the signs and details that are hidden under a complex web of conflicting interests. A conflict arises between what is deemed proper to display (human body and fashion images), wear, or advertise by the state, and what is actually practiced in people's daily lives. All of these images were taken in a clinic in Tehran, where I received training on how to use X-ray machines that operate in an analog manner and use X-ray films. The pieces in this series are shown in multiple countries, Iran, UAE, Turkey, the U.S., and the U.K., and are collected by individual collectors or institutions.
