Khashayar Javanmardi: The Caspian Lake

Khashayar Javanmardi

Khashayar Javanmardi, born and raised in the region, has spent the past decade documenting the environmental degradation of the Iranian southern shore of the Caspian. The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest enclosed body of water, is bordered by Iran to the south, Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the west, and Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to the east. His ongoing project emphasizes the urgent need to link political and structural reform with the everyday realities of life around the Caspian Sea, in response to both regional mismanagement and the global climate crisis.

Although often referred to as a sea, it is in fact the world’s largest lake, home to a unique and fragile ecosystem. Mismanagement, pollution, overfishing, and the effects of climate change — especially declining water levels caused by global warming and extensive water extraction from connected rivers — have had a devastating impact on the region’s environment, economy, and culture.

Each year, millions of tons of pollutants from the Caspian coastal states, including oil pollution, domestic and industrial sewage, damage the marine environment, endangering other species. The fishing rate has plummeted by 70% in recent years, profoundly affecting local fishermen’s livelihoods. Satellite imagery from NASA reveals the lake is shrinking at an alarming rate. Its misclassification as a sea has led to inadequate conservation measures; proper protection can only be achieved through its formal recognition as a lake.

Javanmardi’s project is deeply rooted in the communities surrounding the Caspian Sea. Through powerful portraits and dynamic compositions, he amplifies local voices while confronting the urgent realities of pollution and economic decline. His practice carries a clear ideological mission: to raise awareness of the region’s ecological crisis and to spark curiosity about the Caspian Sea’s broader significance. Over the coming years, Javanmardi aims to continue documenting the profound changes unfolding across the region. His work navigates the intersections of nature, culture, and identity, using photography as a tool to explore and reframe the narratives of place and memory.

Khashayar Javanmardi (Iran, 1991) is a Persian lens-based artist currently based in Lausanne, Switzerland. His work reflects on his homeland, exploring the complex tensions between culture and global politics through a deeply personal narrative of devastation and longing. Javanmardi has been working as a photojournalist since the age of 19 with Jam Photo Agency. Javanmardi is also the founder and director of Hayaat Art Space. In 2023, Javanmardi was shortlisted and received the special jury mention for the prestigious Prix Elysée, was a winner of the Un/Fund Award 2023 and he recently won the second Prize for the PhMuseum 2024 Photography Grant. His monograph, Caspian: A Southern Reflection, was published by Loose Joints in 2024.