Throughout the years that I lived in Tehran, I was always intrigued by two kinds of places. Places where my pleasant or unpleasant memories echoed themselves in, and places which may have only been a simple passageway, but their color, light and being became outstanding to me for any reason. Inspired by Marcel Proust’s Lost Time, this series is a reminder of all those times, places or my “outer me” and an effort to capture myself in “them”.
Q&A with Sara Naimpour
Photography is…
To me photography not only is a means by which I can possess pieces of the world and portions of time as objects and as souvenirs; but also an ideal means to speak visually.
Who left the biggest impression on you?
In my photographs my drawing teacher Samila Amirebrahimi, who is a professional Iranian painter has influenced me the most. I have always admired the ambiguity and blurred compositions in a low key-light setting of her paintings. Her cityscapes of where I was born and raised, very well explains the city’s political atmosphere as well as the artist’s personal life experiences. I also find Hannah Starkey’s staged photography of middle-age women marvellously motivating. And certainly my photography teachers have always motivated me with their words and guidance.
Tell us a little about yourself
I was born in 1986 in Tehran, Iran. Having completed my undergraduate studies in photography at University of Tehran and industrial design at Azad University of Art and Architecture, I gained my practice-based knowledge in both fields of art and design. Upon graduation in 2011, I moved to Toronto, where I currently live and work.
