Peter Carapetian's 'IRAN: Soul Of An Ancient Land' - on Display at Tripod Studio Gallery

IRAN: SOUL OF AN ANCIENT LAND

Award-winning photographer teams with Venice gallery to release never shown photographs of Iran taken in the 1970's.

Tripod Studio Gallery, has teamed with award-winning photographer, Peter Carapetian, to restore and release 63 rare photographs of Iran. Opening on June 1st, IRAN: Soul Of An Ancient Land, features restored, never publicly shown photographs, taken by the artist between 1976-78. Carapetian began documenting disappearing aspects of Iranian history in 1976, when he was hired to work on Sir David Frost's documentary, Cross Roads of Civilization. While working on this epic production, Carapetian took nearly 3,000 photos, mostly while flying in a helicopter across Iran, capturing dramatic landscapes, ground-breaking architecture, and out-of-the-way villages.

Inspired by the ability to travel to remote locations, Carapetian passionately threw himself into recording the lives of nomadic peoples. After spending three days living alongside a Zoroastrian community, adherents to the pre-Islamic religion of Persia, Carapetian was granted the rare honor of documenting a priest's sacred ritual in a Fire Temple. "Being hired to work on Sir David's documentary was a life-changing event that fuels my curiosity till today. My work in fashion photography was rewarding, but incomparable to the awe I felt documenting the magnificent wisdom of a world that was previously unknown to me. The experience connected me to the land, and the people, of my birth country in a profound way," shares Carapetian.

The photographs, mostly shot with a Hasselblad 500C camera, include an aerial view of the Dome of the Royal Mosque in Isfahan, regarded as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built during the reign of Shah Abbas I, starting in 1611, the design incorporated a new method of tile making, which adorns the Mosque with seven-color mosaic tiles. Carapetian was also able to capture the astonishing Mount Dam?vand, which holds a special place in Persian mythology and poetry, as the point where earth meets sky. Riding above this active volcano, that sits in the Alborz Mountain Range, in a helicopter, Carapetian captured the drama of Iran's highest point at 18,406 ft.

When Steven Demer, a film and photography restorer, met Carapetian and learned about the surviving transparencies, he immediately decided to show the historic works at his gallery. After embarking on the project, Demer found that many of the transparencies had faded, or were damaged due to their age. Demer scanned and digitized the transparencies, meticulously restoring them one at a time. The restored photographs will be offered in small collector editions, and signed by the artist.

PETER CARAPETIAN (born in Tehran, Iran; lives in Los Angeles) is an award-winning international photographer known for his work in the fields of fashion and social documentary. His fashion photographs have been featured in British Vogue, Brides Magazine among other magazines. Assignments for AP International, UPI, and the BBC took Carapetian around the globe to document societies, both ancient and modern. He studied at the London based Regent Street Polytechnic School of Photography (now University of Westminster), and St. Martin's School of Art. Carapetian is also a founding member of the groundbreaking UK-based artist's agency, Artist Partners, and has taught at the school of Fine Art Middlesex University.

Founded in 2012 by Suzie and Steven Demer and, TRIPOD STUDIO GALLERY is dedicated to showcasing extraordinary landscape and ethnographic photography from around the world. The Gallery is currently opened on an appointment basis.
An artist reception will be held on June 1st from 6 - 9 pm and will be open to the public.

GALLERY MEDIA CONTACT
Steven Demer, Gallery Manager
info(at)tripodstudios(dot)com
Phone: 310-452-4300