Setareh Masoumbeki

Artist's Statement

Gallery I

Gallery II

I was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1983. I was brought up under conditions that limited girls. Therefore, from the beginning I had to deal with challenges such as forced veiling. For instance, I had my hair shaved in my late teenage to be able to go to public places, pretending to be a boy. A couple of years later, I decided to risk skating in streets that is not allowed for girls. These experiences affected my life in terms of trying to find a way for self expression and self realization.

I entered the Art and Architecture University to study photography in 2001. For my graduation, I presented a dissertation on Cambodia and its people with a specific focus on street children in Phnom Penh.

While taking photos, I decided to develop my work further as a separate project. It will include photos taken by street children in five different countries. Right now I have a collection of pictures taken by Cambodian street kids. I believe the comparison of these pictures can tell a lot about their environment and the way they look at things.

Living in Cambodia provided me with other opportunities. An NGO, called Gender and Development in Cambodia (GAD/C), commissioned me to take portraits from female commune councilors to promote the participation of more women in the coming election. My job included interviewing them. GAD/C used these pictures for publicity by publishing a calendar. At the moment, the portraits are at display in the Ministry for Women’s Affairs. 

(The artist's statement was submitted in English, and has not been edited.)