Born 1996 in Tehran, Shirin migrated to Germany at the age of seven. Since then, she has lived a parallel existence between two cultures. Her interest in photojournalism grew during her early teenage years and got more visible after she took her first class in photography in 2011.
In 2016 she moved to Tehran for a year to understand her country of origin. She contributed as a freelancer to the BORNA News Agency in Tehran and explored the country with her camera and heart.
Shirin works as a freelance photojournalist since 2018. She is mostly interested in topics around women's issues, identity and everyday heroes and their battles. Her work has been published in Stern Magazin, Zeit Online, Weser Kurier, Krautreporter, brandeins as like in The Globe and Mail. In 2022, Shirin joined the Jury of the German Youth Photo Prize.
Shirin is based in Hannover, Germany, and available for assignments and collaborations worldwide. She speaks Farsi, German, English and a bit of French. Additionally to making photos, Shirin is a translator, an interviewer and journalist, as like a speaker for workshops and talks.
2023 Curating through Conflict with Care Symposium in Berlin, DE
2021 The Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIV
2021 Canon Student Program of Visa Pour L'Image Online – Mentored by Donald Weber
2021 B.A. Photojournalism and Documentary Photography in Hannover, DE
2020 Canon Student Program of Visa Pour L'Image Online – Mentored by Ilvy Njiokiktjien
2019 “Intimate Narratives” Workshop with Tanzim Wahab in Hannover, DE
2019 Workshop with Sanne de Wilde at Copenhagen Photo Festival, DK
2019 International Program at Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus, DK
2018 Internship as photojournalist at "Weser Kurier" daily newspaper in Bremen, DE
2018 Canon Student Program in Perpignan, FR
2017 Workshop with Dominic Nahr in Hannover, DE
2014 Start B.A. Program Photojournalism and Documentary Photography in Hannover, DE
Grants / Awards / Mentions
2023 VG Bild Kunst Project Funding 2023 Stiftung KunstFonds, NEUSTART Plus Grantee 2022 TruePicture Grant, Nominee 2022 European Local-Crossborder Grant by Journalism Fund, Grantee 2022 Otto-Steinert-Preis, Shortlist 2021 Felix Schöller Award, Best Newcomer 2021 Ausweg Gesucht Kreativwettbewerb, Winner 2021 Niedersächsischer Sportjournalisten Preis, Winner in two categories "Photography" and "Newcomer" 2021 ProfiFoto New Talent Award Best-of-Best 20/21, 3rd Prize Winner 2020 Emerge Visual Journalism Grant, Finalist 2020 Alexia Foundation Student Grant, Finalist 2020 Ausweg Gesucht Kreativwettbewerb, Winner 2020 Vonovia Award, Best Newcomer, Shortlist 2020 ProfiFoto New Talent Award 20/2, Winner 2020 Global Peace Photo Award, Shortlist 2020 f3 - freiraum für fotografie Award 2020 HAZ Audience Award, 3rd Prize 2020 BFF Foerderpreis, Finalist 2020 Jugendfotopreis, Winner 2020 VOHH Foto Fest, Winner 2020 New York Portfolio Review 2019 BFF Förderpreis, Grantee 2019 Alexia Foundation Student Grant, Shortlist
Exhibitions
2023 “Photomino - Horizonte Öffnen” Landesvertretung Hamburg in Berlin, DE 2023 “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” AFF Galerie Berlin, DE 2023 “First Pages” Rautenstrauch Joest Museum Cologne, DE 2023 “In Waves #womenincovid” Kulturkirche Bremerhaven, DE 2022 “In Waves #womenincovid” Telliskivi Creative City, Tallinn, EE 2022 “In Waves #womenincovid” Campus Leuphana University, Lüneburg, DE 2022 “May I Have This Dance?” Willy-Brandt-Haus, Berlin, DE 2021 “May I Have This Dance?” Museumsquartier Osnabrück, DE 2021 “In Waves #womenincovid” Gallery Wall Köpenicker Str. 70, Berlin, DE 2021 “May I Have This Dance?” Forum für Fotografie, Next! Festival, Cologne, DE 2021 “Aus der Nähe ist die Ferne gar nicht so weit weg” GAF Hannover, DE 2021 “May I Have This Dance?” Whitewall Store Hamburg, DE 2021 “May I Have This Dance?” Kunstmuseum Bochum, Bochum, DE 2021 “May I Have This Dance?” Städtische Galerie Kubus, Hannover, DE
2020 “May I Have This Dance?” Multimedia-Halle, Zingst, DE
2020 “May I Have This Dance?” f3 - freiraum für fotografie, Berlin, DE
2020 “May I Have This Dance?” Helsinki Photo Festival, FI 2020 “May I Have This Dance?” Lumix Festival Online, DE 2020 “May I Have This Dance?” VOHH Fest, Chittagong, BD 2019 “Life Exposed” DMJX Student Exhibition at the American University of Cairo, EG 2019 “Diyar - The home we leave” University Library of Göttingen, DE 2018 “Diyar - The home we leave” Screening at Photokina in MAKK, Cologne, DE 2018 “Diyar - The home we leave” Visa Off 2018, Perpignan, FR 2016 “Charchoub - An Identity Project” Kunst im Quadrat in Hannover, DE (solo) 2015 “Linden Leben” Faust e.V. in Hannover, DE
Talks / Workshops
2023 “Sind alle im Bild?” Workshop at Bildungsakademie in Wolfenbüttel, DE (upcoming) 2023 “Sind alle im Bild?” Guest Lecture at Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin, DE (upcoming) 2023 “Medien im Krieg” Talk at VHS in Oldenburg, DE 2023 German Youth Photo Award at KulturMarktHalle Berlin, DE 2021 “Untold Stories - Junge Positionen in der Fotografie heute” with Andréa Holzherr, Daniel Schreiber and Jonas Höschl, DE 2021 “4 Artist Insights” - Internationale Photoszene Köln, DE 2020 “Foto-Talk: Auf der Couch” f3 - freiraum für fotografie, Berlin, DE 2020 Talk at Sonntags-Matinee at World Press Photo Exhibition, Oldenburg, DE
Shirin Abedi
Photojournalist | Hannover, Germany | Fotografin aus Hannover