This photograph is part of the artist’s Multitude series, which deals with issues surrounding rapid population growth in Iran and throughout the world. Using digital techniques, Tirafkan creates a photomontage of young children with their arms outstretched, superimposed with a traditional Persian motif. The work as a whole expresses his view that population growth is leading to a loss of identity and a degeneration of culture among Iranian youths.

Iranian artist Sadegh Tirafkan is best known for his powerful photomontages, which speak not only to his Iranian experience, but also to the universal struggles of man. By combining contemporary subjects and means of production with elements of traditional Iranian visual style, Tirafkan creates scenes that are harmonious, but at the same, wrought with tension, both visually and beneath the surface. These juxtapositions extend past the frame and into our own personal experience. They engage with viewers and inspire us to think critically about our own lives, while heightening our awareness of the social constructs that create the lenses through which we all view the world.

Sadegh Tirafkan was born in Iraq in 1965 to Iranian parents, and moved to Iran with his family when he was young. He received a Bachelor of Art degree from the University of Tehran in 1990, and has been exhibiting his work in solo and group exhibitions since the late ‘80s. Tirafkan’s works are in a number of highly esteemed public collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and the British Museum. He currently lives and works in Tehran.