Felix Schoeller Photo Award 2021: “Best Work by an Emerging Photographer” for Shirin Abedi

The Felix Schoeller Group awards the “Best Work by an Emerging Photographer” to talented young photographers who are studying, undergoing vocational training or assisting with photography. The works submitted in this category are thematically open.

This year, Shirin Abedi, born in Tehran, can look forward to the title of 'Best Newcomer' with her work 'May I Have This Dance? She will receive prize money of 2,500 euros. In addition, all five nominees in the young talent category will receive an exclusive online session with a jury member to discuss their work (portfolio presentation).

This year, the award of the “Best Work by an Emerging Photographer” is supported by Capture X, a fine art brand of the Felix Schoeller Group, which stands for high-quality papers but also for close dialogue with professional and amateur photographers.

The award winner:

The jury awards the title "Best Work by an Emerging Photographer" to Shirin Abedi. The photographer, who was born in Iran in 1996 and migrated to Germany at the age of seven, dedicates her poetic image series "May I Have This Dance?" to the Iranian ballet scene, which stands up for self-determination, freedom and equality - in a country where, according to Iranian law, immorality and fornication are the consequence of sensual dance.  While the abolition of ballet during the revolution symbolised independence from the West, today dance stands for a generation's longing for Western freedom.

Concept:

Nona (18), Mojdeh (21), Reyhaneh (22) and Yasamin (22) belonged to the ballet group "Alternative" in Tehran until 2020. They are part of the Iranian post-war generation that stands for self-determination, freedom and equality. In 1958, the Iranian National Ballet Company was founded and produced over 50 shows until the revolution. According to Iranian law, immorality and disorder result from sensual dance, which is why all dance institutions were dissolved in 1979 and dance was banned from the Iranian public sphere.

Nevertheless, more and more Iranians dance today and try to make it their profession, while facing repressive measures: Already approved pieces are cancelled, the lights are turned off during the performance and too much public attention, such as on Instagram, can lead to the arrest of participating artists. While during the revolution the abolition of ballet symbolised independence from the West, today dance stands for a generation's longing for Western freedom.

The jury's statement:

"With her work "May I Have This Dance", Tehran-born Shirin Abedi shows us a piece of forbidden art from her home country. In lively and sensitive pictures, Shirin Abedi tells of the passion for dance, which in Iran also stands as a symbol of peaceful resistance against the traditional Islamic society. A photographic essay about the longing for freedom expressed in the art form of dance. Even though each individual photo can stand on its own, the story behind the photos becomes legible, especially in the series. The dance halls are closed. But the dance continues, hidden in private spaces. The poetic images tell a multi-layered and powerful story of a young generation's longing for freedom and creative self-realisation. This clever overall dramaturgy of the selected images conveys the concept in its essential points and makes it visually tangible. Shirin Abedi's May I Have This Dance is a moving and magnificent work."

Personal:

Shirin Abedi was born in Tehran in 1996 and migrated to Germany at the age of seven. Since then, she has lived a parallel existence between two cultures. Her interest in photojournalism grew during her early teenage years and became even more evident when she took her first photography course in 2011. Since 2014, Shirin Abedi has been studying photojournalism and documentary photography in Hanover, Germany, with an exchange semester in 2019 at DMJX in Aarhus, Denmark.

In 2016, she moved to Tehran for a year to understand her country of origin. She is particularly interested in issues around emancipation, identity and everyday heroes and their struggles. Shirin Abedi is a member of Fotobus Society, Diversify Photo, Deutsche Journalisten Union and Versager Kollektiv. Shirin Abedi has already received a number of awards and grants for her work.

https://shirinabedi.visura.co/

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