Shirin Aliabadi: " Miss Hybrid," the new Iranian girl

An art history and archaeology graduate of the University of Paris, Shirin Aliabadi is an artist based in Teheran.

In Miss Hybrid, a series of photographs that she began in 2006, Aliabadi shows a facet of the behavior of young Iranian women today. Veiled young women pose against a black background wearing blond wigs and blue, green or grey contact lenses. Occasional facial piercing and the plasters on their noses suggest recent plastic surgery which has become a fashion "must have" among the new generation of Iranian girls.

Attracted by the diversity of modern consumerism, these in-your-face beauties display their desire to get away from tradition and moves towards the Western system of expression and representation.

Shirin Aliabadi takes her inspiration from everyday life. She finds her models in the streets or local stores of her hometown. It is with a touch of humor that she talks about the veil, religion, and the position of women in the Orient, and the transformations undergone by her country, which are often treated in an austere way.

Miss Hybrid will be on exhibit at Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
June 8 - June 23, 2011

Courtesy Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris