The dark city of Mehrdad Naraghi
Categories: Interviews — Tags: Iran, Mehrdad Naraghi, Night
Translations:
italiano •
Fabiano Busdraghi: Can you tell a story of a photographic experience that has been especially important in your life?
Mehrdad Naraghi: Like many photographers I’ve had such experiences which they were remained in my mind, but they were more interesting than important.
I remember that near my university there was a very small grocery shop with an old salesman. Every time we were going there I was watching one big photo on the wall behind the salesman which showed the handsome young man. Me and my friends thought this was a picture of his son or brother who must killed in the war. Because It is usual to see photos of martyrs in many places in Iran. Once one of my friends asked him “Who is the man in the photo?” And he had answered: “This is me when I was young. In that time every woman came to my shop didn’t want to leave.” When I looked at him there wasn’t any sign of youth in his face. He had been old and ugly.
You could see how an ordinary uneducated man lives with a photo. This photo helped him to feel eternity and was an absolute document about his golden ages.
Fabiano Busdraghi: Is there some photographers, artists or people who were particularly important in your training or in your photographic life?
Mehrdad Naraghi: Actually I have not had any master till now. After I passed my short term courses in photography, I started to work by myself. The things I’d learned in courses were about how to take a photo basically. In that way I was used to take photo under constant rules which I’d learned. It was made me afraid to have experience in irregular ways.
Fortunately I’d meet one of the photographers, who I really admired his works, by accident. Madjid Korang Beheshti was one of my favorites Iranian photographers in that time, I could see him when he was taking photos and I feel how freely he did it. The way he took photos aware me that some times I can put some rules away. Rules which cease me to get new experiences. Maybe he doesn’t know at all, but that day changed my manner in taking photos.
And after that I took some photos which were caused that I was invited from Kourosh Adim, a creative photographer, to make a photography group with three other artists. I got many things during our group meeting, which helped me to make my personal photography vision.
Fabiano Busdraghi: A photographer that you particularly love and why.
Mehrdad Naraghi: Andreas Gursky, Sally Mann, Mona Kuhn are some of my favorite photographers. And I like many projects that other photographers do like Zona by Carl de Keyzer or End time city by Michael Ackerman.
I like the works which attract me by their beauty, and then I look for concepts. It’s obvious that I mean the beauty in my terms. I had a chance to enjoy watching Mona Kuhn works in Paris Photo. I found them so gorgeous that I wanted to stand in front of her works for hours. I felt getting pleasure by watching photos again. I’ve missed it during all kind of study in photography, reading many books and also seeing thousand of photos.
Fabiano Busdraghi: What book are you reading right now? What music are you listening during the last days? A movie you have seen recently that you particularly like?
Mehrdad Naraghi: Now I’m reading a novel by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt named Petits crime conjugaux and the book named Open Shutter by Micheal Wesely. I’m listening to Le pas du chat noir by Anouar Brahim. And the movie I’ve seen recently and I liked it so much was The Banishment by Andrei Zvyagintsev.
