Exhibition Views
Exhibition view of Tehran: Testimonies 2016 - 2026,
Ithaque, Paris, France, 2026
Exhibition view of of Tehran: Testimonies 2016 - 2026,
Ithaque, Paris, France, 2026
Exhibition view of of Tehran: Testimonies 2016 - 2026,
Darkroom, Ithaque, Paris, France, 2026
Having become the capital in the 19th century, Tehran developed as a showcase of power, shaped by a lasting process of modernization combining Iranian and European influences.
In the early 2000s, Hannah Darabi considered photographing her native city, but was confronted with the impossibility of capturing a vast, chaotic city in constant transformation. Beginning in 2013, with Haut, Bas, Fragile, she sought to move away from the conflict-focused images found in the media and instead portray ordinary life as she had known it, while easing her relationship with the city. Today, in the context of the Islamic Republic’s unprecedented, ruthless and bloody repression of unarmed protesters, these photographs are brought into dialogue with testimonies from Tehran residents collected during the Internet blackout of January 2026.
Moment #86, C-print, 40 × 40 cm, 2016, Ed. 1/5 + 2 EA
"Tehran, Tehranpars, January 9, 2026. In this six-minute video, you can hear 262 shots fired, the sound of the terror the Islamic Republic is inflicting on Iranians amid a near-total internet blackout. Alongside the gunfire, you hear people chanting "Death to Khamenei" and "Don’t be afraid, don’t beafraid; we’re all in this together."
(From @irans.feminist.liberation Instagram page)
Moment #68, C-print, 40 × 40 cm, 2016, Ed. 2/5 + 2 EA
“In the early 2000s, while I was studying photography at the University of Tehran, photographing Tehran, my hometown, seemed inconceivable to me, even though I was experiencing an unprecedented sense of belonging to the city. We would walk along Enghelab Avenue, where the University of Tehran is located, to discover the latest literary and philosophical publications in the neighborhood’s many bookstores, take a break over coffee at the wonderful Faranseh pastry shop (France in Persian), or take part in student gatherings organized by the surrounding faculties.”
- Hannah Darabi
Perimeter # 1, C-print, 60 x 75 cm, 2016, Ed. 2/5 + 2 EA
Despite the bloody repression, the total internet blackout, and the lack of information, the few videos coming out of Tehran show that, once again tonight, people are out in the streets: resistance and protests continue.
(From @roja.paris Instagram page, January 10, 2026)
Moment #90, C-print, 40 x 40 cm, 2016-2017, Ed. 2/5 + 2 EA
In Iran, in Karaj, a person opened their home to several people who were fleeing the repressive forces. The security forces forced their way into the house and riddled both the homeowner and the people who were fleeing with bullets.
(From @roja.paris Instagram page, January 27, 2026)
“If Walter Benjamin described the empty streets and silent scenes of Paris photographed by Atget as crime scenes, in the unruly Tehran of Haut, Bas, Fragile, the crime is now unfolding before our eyes.”
— Hannah Darabi
Hannah Darabi (born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian photographer and artist based in Paris.
Through photography, archives, and publishing, Hannah Darabi explores visual representations shaped by political, cultural, and social upheavals, particularly since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Her work has been presented in numerous international institutions and exhibitions, and her publications are held in several public collections, including those of the Centre Pompidou, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Museum of Modern Art (New York). The recipient of several distinctions, she was awarded the Prix Elysée in 2025.