Alfred Seiland. IRAN

Alfred Seiland’s new study Now and Then shows Iran as an historically important cultural landscape on the edge of transformation into modern times. The country once known as Persia continues to be one of the most mysterious countries on Earth, this territory of enchantment and glamorous myths has constantly been the habitat of ancient civilisations. The origin of this most recent body of work is based on the work of his project Imperium Romanum (2013), where he documented ancient sites of the Roman Empire in their present situation. Seiland’s Iran photographs also present compositions showing landscapes, architecture, and people as they present themselves today and render the juxtaposition of historical remains and the present without embellishment. In a time when Europe seems to be in doubt about its most recent unification processes and is also challenged by a stream of migrants from the Middle East, Seiland’s work reminds us that some of our most evident and current political, cultural, and religious problems with that region have not been solved. This series documents the extent to which the reminiscence of historical civilisations is reflected in today’s world and shows the viewer the great political, cultural, and religious civilisations in the Middle East with impressive images.