In Arabic, the word rawiya means “she who tells a story.” The photographs in an exhibition at the Carnegie Museum—made by women with roots in Iran and the Arab world—are themselves a collection of stories.

At a time when American and European views of the Islamic world tend to be filtered through a lens of fear and anxiety, a more nuanced portrait of a culturally complicated place comes into view in an exhibition currently on view at The Carnegie Museum, in Pittsburgh

She Who Tells A Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World  introduces the pioneering work of 12 leading women photographers who have tackled the very notion of representation with passion and power, questioning tradition and challenging perceptions of Middle Eastern identity. 

“Untitled #2,” by Gohar Dashti, from Iran. Courtesy of the Artist and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Their provocative work ranges from fine art to photojournalism and provides insights into political and social issues, including questions of personal identity and the complex political and social landscapes of their home regions in images of sophistication, expressiveness, and beauty. 

Much as the Instagram site, Everyday Africa, brings the humanity behind headlines into focus, She Who Tells A Story help to banish the conventional view of women of the Muslim world as mute bystanders.

“Stephanie, Beirut, Lebanon” (2010), by Rania Matar.

This exhibition includes work by Jananne Al-Ani (Iraqi, b. 1966), Boushra Almutawakel (Yemini, b. 1969), Gohar Dashti (Iranian, b. 1980), Rana El Nemr(Egyptian, b.Germany, 1974), Lalla Essaydi (Moroccan, b. 1956), Shadi Ghadirian (Iranian, b. 1974), Tanya Habjouqa (Jordanian, b. 1975), Rula Halawani(Palestinian, b. 1964), Nermine Hammam (Egyptian, b. 1967), Rania Matar (Lebanese, b. 1964), Shirin Neshat (Iranian, b. 1957), and Newsha Tavakolian (Iranian, b. 1981). 

An untitled image from the series Women of Gaza, by Tanya Habjouqa

She Who Tells A Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World continues through September 28 at the Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. Information. The exhibition was organized by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.