Ashkan Sahihi

With ParisNewYorkPortraits, photographer Ashkan Sahihi presents a compelling portrait series that challenges and refines the way we see. Envisioning a radiant and optimistic future, the book brings together 38 young people in their twenties from Paris and New York—a generation shaped by pandemic isolation and the constant exposure of digital hypervisibility.Captured in analogue black-and-white, without artificial light or digital alteration, each face resists easy categorization. Ethnic background, identity, and belonging remain fluid rather than fixed. With remarkable sensitivity and restraint, Sahihi creates images that privilege presence over performance.Accompanied by three thought-provoking essays, the volume reflects on contemporary image cultures, social media self-staging, and the question of what it means today not just to be looked at but truly seen. ParisNewYorkPortraits is a celebration of youth, individuality, and hope amid the complexities of our time.38 black-and-white studio portraits capture young people from Paris and New York beyond digital self-stagingWith a reflection by Ocean VuongExhibition: Lea Bischofberger Gallery, Zurich, March 19, to April 30, 2026

Ashkan Sahihi (born in Tehran in 1963) is an Iranian-American photographer who began his artistic career in the cultural avant-garde of 1980s New York. Known for his portrait-based social studies, often dealing with the question of perception, he created significant works in the cities of New York, Istanbul, London, and Berlin, which have been exhibited and published internationally.