Featured photographer: Forough Yavari

Forough Yavari is a visual artist, fine art portrait and fashion photographer, and educator based in Melbourne, Australia.

With over 20 years of experience in the art and photography industry and a solid foundation in painting from art at university, she has achieved significant growth since starting her photography business in 2013.

Her work intricately portrays the narratives of people worldwide, reflecting her diverse background and influences. Combining her artistic roots from Iran and her experiences in Australia, she passionately pursues visual-arts, encapsulating the essence of her life journey.

Forough has earned numerous prestigious awards, including being a two-time winner of The International Portrait Photographer of the Year; winner of the Advertising & Fashion Category for The Capture Awards 2023; finalist in National Portrait gallery; and finalist for the Beautiful Bizzare Art Prize. Her works have been globally exhibited in solo and group exhibitions as well as several art fairs around the world.

Salvation. I was inspired by poems of Langston Hughes (the American social activist and poet).  Dance and Blues play major role in Hughes poems, allusion to freedom and loneliness.  The background and custom are also made using various hemp fabrics, with background forms and shapes inspired by paintings by Mary Obering (American abstract painter). 

Iris is from an ongoing series “The Skin Around Me” that I examine how objects serve as shields and enhancements, concealing and unveiling aspects of youth, beauty, and vulnerability. This series invites viewers to reflect on the materials that shape our identities and the dualities they represent—between self-perception and the external world, beauty and fragility, protection, and exposure.

I have a dream. Referring to the speech "I Have a Dream" a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for end to racism. 

In between spaces. In this image, I illustrate my experience as a female migrant artist to another country that is so different in many aspects. "In-between spaces" invites viewers to consider the complexities of identity for those who migrate.

Serenity. This portrait from the “Salvation” series celebrates the beauty and strength of black women, drawing inspiration from Langston Hughes' poetry, and infused with the themes of dance and the blues, echoing their experiences. I crafted the background and clothing using painted canvas, gold leaf, and paper, symbolizing freedom, and movement. The golden circle signifies the woman's power and resilience, paying homage to the transformative power of the human spirit in overcoming adversity. Ellie is my subject here, wearing an outfit I created from wrapping paper. As she danced to music in the studio, I captured her genuine emotions and expression, avoiding a staged approach. With painted backdrops and the enchanting golden hues, the portrait conveys the profound essence of her being.

You can see more of Forough's work on her website.