Newsha Tavakolian

Newsha Tavakolian was sixteen when she began taking photographs in Iran. Since then, she has been documenting the changes in her country, with a particular focus on youth, women, and the intimate. Starting out as a photojournalist, she has gradually expanded her practice, blending documentary photography, personal archives, family photos, and staged images.

As a guest at this 17th edition of the Planches Contact Festival, dedicated to “Generations,” the Iranian photographer—a member of Magnum Photos—will reflect on more than twenty years of work and how her perspective has evolved amid her country’s upheavals. This story also intersects with that of her family: before her, her great-uncle and then her grandfather had already been photographing Iran and their loved ones. A conversation exploring a remarkable career, where personal, family, and collective histories intertwine through photography.