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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Portrait of My Mother As An Ethno-Futurist Icon, 2023

Sammaneh Pourshafighi

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 Finalist

digital photograph on paper (frame: 102.1cm x 74.1cm depth 2.0cm)

An ethno-futurist perspective asks 'Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?' It seeks to answer these questions by creating a bridge between the national and the international, between and beyond the collective pasts and futures of our ethnic culture. This is a portrait of my mother Maryam, an Iranian migrant and Australian citizen. She is a keeper of our familial ancestral knowledge, as well as an enduring advocate for diasporic Iranian culture, having established the first Persian language school on the Gold Coast, Queensland. I wanted to capture Maryam's colourful personality and dedication to future thinking, alongside her transcultural identity.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023

Other NPPP photos from Sammaneh Pourshafighi

A million moons: Self-portrait as an Iranian woman, 2023 Sammaneh Pourshafighi
2024 Finalist
© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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