Abbas Kowsari

Acquired directly from the artist in 2007

Condition: the work is in very good condition Colour: The catalogue illustration is very accurate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Abbas Kowsari is a photographer who started his career as a journalist working for Persian and English newspapers in Tehran, most of which are now banned from publishing. He has worked as a freelance photographer for international photo agencies and magazines, including AFP, and his photos have been published in international publications such as Paris Match, Der Spiegel and Colors Magazine of Benetton, amongst others. He was shortlisted for the 2014 Prix Pictet (Earth section) and also exhibited in 2012 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of the exhibition Light from the Middle East. In the latter exhibition, his photograph Halabche (2003) portrays a Kurdish combatant – peshmerga – wearing a rock T-shirt and weapons. The contrast between these elements reinforces ‘the incongruity between warfare in Iraq and western pop culture’. In his series Shades of Water, taken at Rezaieh Lake, people are portrayed in a theatrical setting, waiting, ‘as if they are looking for that which the viewers must search within themselves to find’.