Iran’s Hossein Zare captures our wildest dreams in surreal photographs

Iranian photographer Hossein Zare captures in photography what we can only see in our dreams – otherworldly land and cityscapes infused with an sense of eternal longing. A longing to reconnect with the land, with the heavens? Step in to see just a small handful of his incredible work.

It’s always unfair to project any kind of meaning onto an artist’s work, to pretend to know what they are thinking or feeling while composing a particular piece. But in Zare’s case, it’s hard not to sense that he is suspended in a constant state of searching.

A lone man on long winding roads, large empty landscapes, and lonely ladders that reach into the clouds, or sometimes never make it there – all of these images create such a powerful sense of being lost or stranded. But there is no panic, somehow.

Related: Take an astro tour with Iranian photographer Babak Tafreshi

Captured with his Nikon D7000 and tinkered with in photoshop, each composition reveals an incredible attention to detail. They also demonstrate a keen awareness of environmental concerns, which is not surprising given that Zare is based in Iran, where environmental degradation too often goes virtually unchecked.

City skylines are flipped on their head, boats are marooned in the desert, trees survive by a thread as everything around them grows up and out, taking over.

We can’t get enough of these photographs, but rather than extrapolate too much hidden meaning, we’ll let you enjoy his profile for yourself. If you’d like to see more, check out Zare’s profile on 500px and maybe consider purchasing a print of your own.

:: My Modern Met