Hasti Rafiei

Landscape photography carries a rich and ancient history that, in its earliest stages, was
profoundly influenced by the tradition of Romantic painting. With the introduction of the concept of the “Sublime” by philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, a new perspective emerged — an experience in which the observer is suspended between the duality of awe and fear. In this realm, nature was represented not merely as a subject, but as a vast force transcending human perception.

Over time, however, this celebratory gaze became intertwined with concepts of power. As Michel Foucault explains, the act of seeing, or “The Gaze,” is never neutral; it is, in itself, an exercise of authority and power. By selecting a frame and defining the boundaries of space within the work, the photographer seems to be “possessing” the object—taming the chaos of the outside world through the rectangular order of the composition.

Aware of this historical context, I have sought in this work to redefine these concepts through the lens of “Objective Photography.” This approach demands that the photographer set aside all personal interpretations and artistic interventions to present an impartial image—a solid, documentary record. In this piece, the panoramic breadth of the frame and the indifferent clarity of the details are not employed to praise the grandeur of the landscape, but to capture the naked reality of an urban environment.

Yet, a fundamental question remains for me: Can the photographer truly escape the power of “The Gaze” by seeking refuge behind the lens of objectivity? Is this very pursuit of neutrality not, in itself, another form of exercising power and dominance over reality? It is at this threshold that the boundary between the impartial observer and the dictatorial creator dissolves into the haze of the landscape.