Shirin Abedi is documentary photographer working on themes such as emancipation, shame and love. She addresses social injustice, power imbalances, and representation, shaped by the inner conflict caused by bans, displacement, and rising fascism that limit freedom and belonging. Shirin is also a researcher, translator & teacher. Grown up in Hannover, she now lives in Germany and Iran. Shirin Abedi received the Inge Morath Award from Magnum Foundation in 2023.
I will stand your ground on days you can‘t
2024
Chrome frame 200x190 cm
12 Polaroids
Three fabric panels 2x 120x160 cm 1x 115x165 cm
In Shirin Abedi's work “I will stand your ground on days you can't,” Abedi uses an instant camera to photograph a contemporary movement—one that is raising its voice against the genocide in Palestine.
She says that, unlike parties and friendships, she uses the medium to “show a story of resistance, community, and care. According to Amnesty International, Israel is an apartheid state. So I use Polaroids as a way to capture original evidence of the social change I'm seeing in Germany.”
Some of the Polaroids show moments that represent a strong sense of togetherness, such as a hand on a shoulder; another is a still life with a string of watermelons next to speculoos cookies and black bananas. Other shots show portraits of people wearing keffiyehs and others in which Abedi documents police violence against protesters in the midst of the action.
The Polaroid medium repeatedly serves a purpose that ranges from fun to violent occasions. In South Africa, it was used in a violent form during apartheid to control and oppress the black population. In Abedi's work, however, it becomes a symbol and expression of a sense of justice.
