Mehraneh Atashi and her husband Madjid Ghaffari were among 40 people arrested by the Iranian police forces on 12 January.

The photographer was being held in solitary confinement in a ward of Evin prison in Tehran.

Born in Tehran in 1980, the artist grew up in the Iranian capital. In 2002, she graduated in Photography from the University of Tehran and, since then, her work has been shown around the world, including the UK, France, South Africa, and Switzerland. She was a guest at Paris Photo in 2004 and Photo London the following year.

Atashi started her career as a photojournalist, but spent the past few years concentrating on personal work focused on the art market. In a recent series she turned her camera on herself, catching glimpses of her face in public places. She also gained access to Zourkhaneh, a sports centre in Tehran usually reserved for men. While the work can be seen as a documentary project on the centre and its religious tradition, its first and foremost subject is the photographer herself, who can be seen in every shot using different mirrors.