Solmaz Daryani

Overview

Documentary photographer Solmaz Daryani makes images of social, political and ecological issues relating to Iran and the surrounding region. Investigating the manifold relationships between people and their environments, she identifies potent locations and communities from which personal narratives emerge. The artist views photography as a storytelling medium, preferring to work over extended periods of time to understand the longitudinal impact of age and development on people and landscapes. Whether examining water scarcity or climate driven migration, her images evoke both the present moment and the ravages of time.

Daryani’s work has been shown in numerous international exhibitions, including the Biennale of Female Photography, Mantova, Italy (2022); PhEST – International Festival of Photography and Art, Monopoli, Italy (2020); International Women Photographers Award (IWPA) Exhibition, La Galerie, Alliance Française, Dubai (2019); and REAL IRAN, Galerie Mandarine, Paris (2018).

She has received the the FotoEvidence W Book Award (2021); Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Science Photographer of the Year (2021); Alexandra Boulat Grant, VII Foundation and VII Academy (2019); IWPA Award, (2019); PhotogrVphy Grant (2018); and IdeasTap Photographic Award, in association with Magnum Photos (2016). She is also a grantee of the National Geographic Society and a member of Women Photograph and Diversify Photo.

She graduated from the Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran (2011), and the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX), Aarhus, Denmark (2020).

Daryani was born in 1989 in Tabriz, and she currently lives and works between Tabriz and Newcastle, UK.

SAF participation:
Sharjah Biennial 15 (2023)
Jury member for Vantage Point Sharjah 10 (2022)