Shahr-e No by Kavesh Golestan: a possible reading of the religious and political dimensions of photographs of women prostitutes (Iran, Iran, 1975-1977)

Abstract

This article discusses Kaveh Golestan’s album Shahr-e No as a testimony to the impoverished living conditions of women in prostitution. We understand his photos as a political discourse and criticism of the Pahlavi Dynasty. However, we treat the use of veil in some poses as a representation of the hijab. Prostitution was configured as an anti-Islamic environment and the prostitute woman in an antagonistic position to that promoted by tradition and sexual ethics in Islam. Thus, through the analysis of the images according to a religious perspective, we understand that Kaveh Golestan’s political critique of the Government extends also to Iranian society and Muslim communities, in order to give visibility and belonging to those portrayed.