In partnership with the Community of St Barthélemy, the Wall House Museum and Space Gallery St Barth are proud to present a new exhibition, entirely dedicated to the photographs of Iran Issa-Khan. Entitled Forces of Nature, this exhibition pays homage to the intrinsic beauty of the natural world, which fascinates the artist and has been the center of his attention for the past twenty years. Born in Tehran, Issa-Khan grew up in Iran, Europe and the United States. She began her career as a professional photographer in New York in the 1970s under the patronage of William Minor, Jr. Beautiful, talented and witty, Issa-Khan soon found herself surrounded by a glittering circle of artists, couturiers and creatives who introduced him to the world of art and more particularly to the photographs of Horst P. Horst, Richard Avedon, Guy Bourdin and Francesco Scavullo – works which later inspired him for his work as a fashion photographer. In the 1980s and 1990s, Issa-Khan's career really took off, portraying the biggest names in fashion at the time. His work appears on the covers of American, European and South American editions of Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Elle, to name just a few. In 1999, to better enjoy his family and a warmer climate, Issa-Khan moved to Coral Gables, Florida. This uprooting represents a tipping point in his approach as an artistic photographer. In the tropical climate the artist found new inspiration in the tranquil beauty of nature and the landscape. In Forces of Nature she lets things speak for themselves. She explains: “There’s a purity to nature that I particularly like, because other types of portraits are a bit fake. You know that it will take makeup, that you will need nice clothes, that you will have to pretend and add more. But what comes from the earth no one can change it, it is perfect from birth. That’s why I make them so big: because I want people to respect what they believe is their due. » So she began photographing flowers, corals and other natural specimens. These images, which recall the work of Georgia O’Keefe, Tina Modotti, Irving Penn and Robert Mapplethorpe, use the close-up to provoke a relationship of intimacy and confrontation with their subjects. Cathy Leff, director of the Wolfsonian Museum explains: “Issa-Khan focused on the details of nature, an angle not necessarily obvious but – she defends – just as beautiful. By playing with close-ups, original framing and large formats, Issa-Khan forces the viewer to bow before the grandeur of the natural world and question the size of their own ego. » Continuous attention reveals the plastic complexity, colors and materials of his subjects that his quality as a fashion photographer allows him to magnify. Whether subtle and monochromatic or outrageous and richly saturated, all of his photographs are captured on film and printed in large formats. Iran Issa-Khan now lives in Miami where she has been working on her Nature series for 20 years. Considered, with Annie Liebowitz for example, as one of the most important photographers today, her name and her talent are internationally recognized. Her work, imbued with false simplicity and elegance, sets her apart. Issa-Khan has been exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles, Miami, Palm Beach and Dubai. His work, highly appreciated by decorators and collectors, has been published in Harper’s Bazaar, Veranda, Cultured, Luxe, and Haute Living to name just a few. Issa-Khan’s work has received tributes and respect from many of his peers who recognize his undeniable talent. A book of his work capturing the beauty of the natural world was prefaced by Zaha Hadid, the renowned architect and collector of Issa-Khan’s photographs.