Shot in his native Iran in 2002, Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Snow Series’ photographs verge on abstraction, and, much like his films, are concerned with reducing a subject to its essence. He compared his photography to haiku and literati paintings, both mediums that celebrate the natural environment through a minimalist aesthetic. For Kiarostami, the act of photography was primarily a form of existential introversion, a restorative reflection and connection with his self, a form of therapy away from the urban sprawl. The series is intended to engage viewers in an environment that infers the introspective element of Kiarostami’s art.
Abbas Kiarostami (1940 – 2016) was a renowned Iranian film director, poet, photographer and screenwriter. Active from the early 1970s, he is among the most honored film directors; he was awarded the Palme d’Or for Taste of Cherry in 1997.
His photographs capture themes of landscape and nature using a simple contemplative approach. “Not being able to feel the pleasure of seeing a magnificent landscape with someone else is a form of torture,” the artist has said. “That is why I started taking
photographs. I wanted somehow to eternalize those moments of passion and pain.”
阿巴斯．奇亞羅斯塔米（Abbas Kiarostami）在 2002 年
於自己的故土伊朗進行拍攝，誕生出攝影系列「雪」。
攝影系列很接近抽象的概念，也一如他的電影作品般，
把主題濃縮提煉出精髓。他把自己的攝影作品與日本俳
句和人文繪畫比擬，兩者均透過極簡的美學來歌頌自然
環境。對奇亞羅斯塔米來說，攝影這一行為在根本上是
一種內向存在的表現、反思的洗滌和與自己內心建立的
聯繫，是一種遠離擴張不斷的城市的治療。這個攝影系
列旨在讓觀眾置身於奇亞羅斯塔米的藝術世界中，感受
其藝術創作的自省特質。
阿巴斯．奇亞羅斯塔米 ( 1940 – 2016 ) 是伊朗知名的電
影導演、詩人、攝影師和編劇。他於二十世紀七十年代
初開始活躍於藝壇，是伊朗最為人尊敬的導演之一。其
作品《櫻桃的滋味》於 1997 年榮獲「康城影展金棕櫚
獎」 奇亞羅斯塔米的攝影作品圍繞山水和大自然，展示
其簡單的默想式攝影手法。他曾這樣說： 不能與別人一
起欣賞大自然的美景是一種遺憾。我希望永恆地留住那
一刻的熱情和痛苦，於是便開始拍攝起來。」
