Newsha Tavakolian

Newsha documents regional conflicts and disasters in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen. Her work is published by international newspapers and magazines, including "Time Magazine", "Newsweek", "Stern", "Le Figaro", "The New York Times", "The New York Times Magazine", "Der Spiegel", "Le Monde" or "NRC Handelsblad".

In 2014, Newsha became the fifth winner of the Carmignac Gestion International Photography Award. Less than a year later, in September 2015. Newsha received the Prince Claus Grand Award. She donated the amount of 45,000 euros, from a prize of 100,000 euros, to organisations that help refugees from Syria and Iraq: for the Sheed Award, an independent documentary photography award, the Iranian Mahak Foundation, which supports children with cancer, and Iranian animal protection organisations. After receiving the Prince Claus Award, the artist said: "It is difficult for me to enjoy this award to the extent that I would like to see the area where I work and live, on fire and tens of thousands of people seeking shelter in distant countries". 

Also in September 2015, Tavakolian was among the six newly nominated members of the famous photo agency Magnum Photos.

A few months ago, in June 2016, Newsha's solo exhibition in Singapore was censored. 15 photographs of young Kurdish women fighting in the army against the Islamic State, despite the earlier acceptance of these photographs by the exhibition organizers, were removed from the presentation. Instead of photos, black pages are shown. 

Tavakolian and her works are an inspiration for young photographers not only in the Middle East. The artist has not yet exhibited her works in Poland, and the Polish viewer could so far admire her photos mainly in world magazines. With joy, for the first time in Poland, Atlas Sztuki will present the work of Newsha Tavakolian. We will show a selection of works from six projects: Blank Pages of an Iranian Photo Album, Iran, Listen, Ocalan's Angels (project censored in Singapore), A Thousand Words for a Picture That I Never Took and Iraq War. The curator of the Polish presentation of Newsha Tavakolian's work is Peggy Sue Amison, an American curator, artistic director of the East Wing gallery in Dubai. This is the third presentation prepared by Peggy Sue Amison in Atlas Sztuki, we previously collaborated on the occasion of the exhibition of Alexey Titarenko in 2011 and Roger Ballen in 2014. 

I invite you to the Atlas Sztuki, it is worth facing the work of Newsha Tavakolian.