Winds have shaped the islands off the southern coast of Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz, and over many centuries, tides have brought to these islands an ancient and complex group of people. Here, there is a commonly held belief that the wind can possess a person, and can equally be exorcised from them through an intense ceremony of dance and music.
In this exhibition, Speak the Wind, Iranian, Australian artist, Hoda Afshar proffers an enigmatic view of the rituals and lives that play out within the astounding landscape of these islands. As she uses photography and moving image to ensnare and parse the winds of the Strait of Hormuz, Afshar also grapples with the history of documentary photography; its beauty and its limits.
Speak the Wind is an official exhibition of PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography (photo.org.au), a major biennial of new photography and ideas taking place from 29 April to 22 May in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Curator: Pippa Milne, MGA Senior Curator