Ex Nihilo proudly presents Not A Typical Persian Girl — a major body of work by artist duo Atoosa Farahmand and Oscar Hagberg, arriving in Copenhagen this June after years of touring across Europe.

Through photography, film and large-scale installation, the duo examines how ideology, religion and political agendas have shaped what it means to be a woman in Iran. The work catalogues the everyday acts forbidden to women since the 1979 revolution — biking, singing, riding a motorcycle, watching football in a stadium — while unveiling the humour and vibrant spirit with which Iranian women confront the constraints placed upon them.

Built on extensive research into the women’s rights movement in Iran from 1850 to today, conducted together with Professor Erin Cory at Malmö University, the project moves between historical document and intimate portrait, weaving performance, archive and the voices of activists, dancers, journalists and exiles into a single visual language.

As the struggle for women’s rights and democracy in Iran continues, the work insists that we keep our eyes open — to the precariousness of democracy and human rights, and to the women who continue to fight for them. “Not A Typical Persian Girl can be me, you, and us.”

The exhibition has previously been shown at Fotografiska Stockholm, Galerie Futura Berlin, Villa San Michele on Capri, Kulturkvarteret and OpenArt in Örebro, Misschiefs Stockholm, Hinterland Vienna, and as part of Der Greif curated by Shirin Neshat at Paris Photo.

Artist talk — Saturday June 13, the day after the opening, Atoosa and Oscar will be in conversation on the Photo Scene at Copenhagen Photo Festival from 16:00-16:30.

Opening Friday June 12, 16:00–20:00