Nina Mokhtarbaf is a photographer who deals with the role of women in the context of social and cultural structures. Her work reflects the experiences of women who are confronted with external constraints in their environment while searching for a way to navigate between tradition and change, conformity and self-assertion.
In her photographs, she combines documentary and conceptual approaches to portray the complexity of women's realities. Her works go beyond mere representation and aim to make visible the invisible aspects of enforced silence and hidden resistance.
Nina has participated in various exhibitions, including “Another Utopia” in Germany and “Revelations, Female Lifeworlds in Iran” in Austria. She currently lives and works in Germany, where she continues to explore visual expressions of female experiences in her current projects.
Wo Mut geboren wird
2015
14x Fine-Art Prints, 60x40cm, ungerahmt,
diverse Gurte
Nina Mokhtarbaf presents a fragment of her photo series "Where Courage Is Born." Over the course of two years, she photographed young Iranian girls and women who practice Taekwondo—a sport often perceived as male-dominated. Mokhtarbaf’s images tell of a female reality that powerfully asserts itself against common prejudices.
The photographs are displayed at Gold und Beton, loosely arranged on yellow and black belt straps—a symbolic reference to the significance of Taekwondo belts. Yellow, the color of beginners, stands for growth and new beginnings, comparable to the light of the sun. Black signifies mastery: depth, maturity, and the transition into a new role—that of a teacher.
The images bear witness: martial arts is not a solitary sport. It thrives on community, trust, a sense of belonging, and mutual support—far beyond the battlefield.
