The group exhibition “Ordinary Moment” presents a selection of works by eighteen independent Iranian photographers. Curated by Mansour Forouzesh, the exhibition was held from April 10 to May 4, 2025, at FUGA Gallery in Budapest, as part of the Budapest Photo Festival — Hungary’s largest photography event. Organized by the Forma Institute of Visual Arts with the support of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, the exhibition offered an intimate and unmediated view of ordinary moments and the rhythms of everyday life in Iran.

Bringing together a diverse body of photographic work, “Ordinary Moment” seeks to present a narrative that remains close to the lived realities of everyday life in Iran. Rather than focusing on exceptional events, it turns its attention to ordinary, human, and ongoing moments of daily existence. The exhibition invites viewers to observe and reflect on scenes that are often overlooked amid dominant official and media narratives.

The exhibition statement reads:

Iran, much like its diverse geography, is home to a complex and multifaceted society — one that cannot be reduced to a single narrative. “Ordinary Moment” is an attempt to reflect part of this diversity through the perspectives of independent photographers. Through brief yet sincere glimpses into everyday stories, the exhibition creates an opportunity for audiences to connect with ordinary yet meaningful moments of life in Iran.

One of the exhibition’s defining features is its focus on photographers who have had limited opportunities to present their work within formal or international contexts. For many of these artists, photography is not primarily an economic profession, but a means of articulating lived experience, emotion, and personal concerns. The works presented in “Ordinary Moment” emerge from this personal and intimate engagement with life — images of streets, homes, and public spaces that collectively speak to the experience of living within Iranian society.

The exhibition “Ordinary Moment” is part of a broader research-based project entitled “The [Un]Seen Meaning,” which explores how meaning is formed within the visual arts. Within this framework, “Ordinary Moment” focuses on the role of the artist’s personal lived experience in the production of meaning, and on how the author’s individual perspective shapes the interpretation of an artwork.

Participating artists:

Arash Tavakoli, Amirmasoud Arabshahi, Bita Kohanmooei, Parham Raoufi, Hojatollah Ataei, Reyhaneh Malek-Shoar, Sajedeh Erfani, Samira Sarmad, Saeideh Mirzadeh, Shervin Shirkoobi, Fatemeh Salehi, Golnaz Zibandeh-Khoo, Majid Halvaei, Mohsen Tavangar, Morteza Beigloo, Mahnaz Minavand, Meysam Pourjafari, and Niku Alidoosti.

The Budapest Photo Festival is an annual citywide event dedicated to establishing Budapest as a “city of photography.” Bringing together Hungarian and international artists, the festival presents a broad range of exhibitions and professional and public programs that engage with both classical and contemporary photographic practices. Its program includes major exhibitions, lectures, workshops, photo marathons, and portfolio reviews.

The exhibition was supported by the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, the oldest higher-education institution for fine arts in Hungary. Founded in 1871, the university has played a significant role in the education and development of the visual arts in the country.

As the organizer of the exhibition, the Forma Institute of Visual Arts is an independent fine arts platform based in Hungary, dedicated to supporting independent artists and developing exhibitions and artistic projects on an international scale. Forma has planned and carried out a number of projects and collaborations in Tehran, Budapest, and London.

For further information about this exhibition and upcoming projects, please visit the Forma Art website.