Photography exhibition to challenge misconceptions of Iranian culture, lifestyle

In the United States, perceptions about Iranian culture and lifestyle can often be negative and misinformed.

Penn State graduate student Yeganeh Aghazamani sought to challenge American misconceptions of Iran by curating a photographic exhibition depicting realities of Iranian life.

Titled “Peace Bridge,” the exhibition seeks to “bridge” together America and Iran through truth and dialogue.

It was displayed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 11 and will continue to be shown on April 12 in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Engagement Space.

Aghazamani (graduate-recreation, park and tourism management), who is Iranian herself, said she wants to show viewers that the way American media often portrays Iran does not truly represent the country.

“People will have different attitudes about Iran if it is shown from a different lens,” she said. “I want to make the community aware of my culture.”

“Peace Bridge” consists of photographs taken by Iranian photographers that portray everyday life in the country.

The images on display in the exhibition are based on the questions Americans ask about Iran. Viewers to the exhibition can see what different things like dentist appointments, women’s education, religious practices, weddings, the climate, leisure time and bazaars look like in Iran.

Iran is not the unsafe, Muslim-only desert many Westerners think it is. Rather, the country is a place filled with different climates, religions and cultural practices that many call home, according to Aghazamani.

“I want to get people together to have a mutual understanding about Iranian culture,” she said. “The exhibition shows that Iran is not what they see in the media.”

In addition to the photographs on display, visitors can enjoy drinks and snacks, a video about Persian cuisine, a map of the Middle East and Iranian music.

Visitors are encouraged to fill out a survey after they attend, in which they compare their perceptions of Iran before and after attending the exhibition.

When Aghazamani first came to the United States, she said she was surprised by American perceptions of Iran and expected Americans to know more about Iran.

She decided she wanted to make Americans more aware of Iranian culture and initially wanted to run tours between Iran and the United States.

However, Penn State does not support travel to Iran as it considers the country dangerous, according to Aghazamani.

“If I couldn’t bring American students to Iran, I decided to bring Iran to them,” she said.

Thus, Aghazamani had the idea to curate the exhibition.

She said Penn State associate professor Pete Allison initially welcomed the idea and encouraged her to make the exhibition a reality.

Allison, who is in the same department as Aghazamani, said Aghazamani did a “wonderful job” curating the exhibition.

“I hope the exhibition brings to Penn State a richer understanding of Iran and Middle Eastern cultures,” Allison said. “It balances out impressions from the media that aren’t always accurate.”

Aghazamani curated the exhibition with support from Penn State’s Office of Global Programming. She contacted many different Iranian photographers and asked if she could display their recent photographs of the country.

Zeinab Azarmand attended the exhibition on Wednesday.

Azarmand, who is from Iran, said the exhibition did an excellent job of showing Iranian culture.

“I hope visitors to the exhibition think about Iran,” Azarmand said. “People in the Middle East don’t know much about people in America, either. I think the exhibition is a good start to understand each other.”

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