Iranian-born, London-based artist Hanieh Yavari was announced as the winner of the 2025 Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize for her powerful photographic work Squeezed by Shades, from the Brutal Resilience series (2023). Exploring themes of identity, femininity, and resistance, the self-portrait marks a significant moment in the Prize’s history as the first photographic work to receive the award.
Now in its eighth edition, the Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize is the UK’s only art competition dedicated exclusively to self-portraiture. Yavari joins a prestigious list of past winners including inaugural recipient Celia Paul (2011) and Colin Davidson (2023).
In Squeezed by Shades, Yavari confronts the camera while her ponytailed hair is drawn tightly across her face, obscuring her identity. Set against a stark, concrete backdrop, the image evokes a sense of suffocation and confinement—symbolising the lack of bodily autonomy and the enforced visibility of women within politically charged environments. Reflecting on her experience, Yavari notes that relocating to the UK has intensified her awareness of the restrictive norms for women in Iran, particularly around mandatory dress codes like the hijab.
On receiving the Prize, Yavari commented:
“It’s an incredible honour to receive this prestigious award and to join such an important Collection. My work reflects a personal journey of exploring identity, femininity, and the tension between visibility and concealment. This recognition encourages me to continue creating work that speaks quietly, but with strength, to the shared experiences of many women."
The winning work, along with 34 shortlisted self-portraits spanning painting, drawing, collage, embroidery, sculpture, and photography, will be exhibited at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum until Sunday 7 September. The exhibition showcases a vibrant mix of international and UK-based artists, each reimagining the genre in striking and deeply personal ways.
Yavari will receive £10,000 in prize money, and her work will subsequently go on tour to Southampton City Art Gallery as part of its reopening programme.