Interview by Bernard Mak

Aydin Matlabi is a 34-year-old Iranian born in Teheran who fled with his family to Montreal ­at the tender age of 5. After an at times difficult and tumultuous childhood, he was first introduced to the art of photography when at 17, Suzanne Girard – one of Montreal’s Gay Pride co-founders – gave Aydin a camera and an abundant amount of film. After substantial experimentation with photography, Aydin completed a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. in Photography at Concordia University in his mid-twenties.

With a passionate desire to empower the underdogs of society as well as shedding light on the brutality of war, Aydin feels as though he has an obligation to imbue a political overtone to his work. Having on the one hand explored the queer sub-culture and identity and on the other documenting the aftermath of conflicts in war zones, Aydin’s goal is to illustrate how various forms of struggle affects people’s notion of identity, gender, and sexuality in this modern age of multiculturalism.

Notably, as part of his M.F.A. thesis project, Aydin was in a unique position as a “Western/Diaspora” freelance photographer to document Iran’s Green Movement uprising in protest of Ahmadinejad’s re-election in Teheran in the summer of 2009. More recently, he has released a book entitled “Landscape Revolution People” illustrating the evolving socio-political face of modern Iran. Additionally, he recently showcased “Modern Muse”, a solo exhibition exploring the misunderstood drag queen culture at the Museum of Fine Arts Montreal. In the near future, he hopes to open a gallery centered around Iranian art.

See more of Adyin’s work on his website or instagram.