LONDON.-Xerxes Fine Arts opens its doors with Haj, its inaugural exhibition of works by the Iranian artist and photographer Jamshid Bayrami. Offering a privileged window on a world that remains obscure to many, the show perfectly captures the contradictory nature of the mass Pilgrimage, where pressing multitudes of diverse nationalities converge in orderly worship and individuals experience moments of tranquillity and silent contemplation.

Bayrami made his name as a young photojournalist covering the front in the Iran-Iraq war and later as a staff photographer for The Economist and the Agence France Presse. Renowned for his ability to capture the political and cultural moment, this photojournalistic approach of conveying a whole story in just one image has stayed with him ever since, and is used here again to impressive effect.

In the Haj series, Bayrami brings an insider’s eye to reveal the rhythms and rituals of the devotional journey. Whilethese will be familiar to Moslems, to those without knowledge of the Haj, the striking impression is that of serenity.

Where we might expect chaos, Bayrami’s pictures more often depict a sea of calm, drawing out geometric patterns created by hundreds of thousands bowed and unified in prayer.

These large-scale, beautifully-composed images are powerful statements about the nature of religion and the power of prayer. The overwhelming sensation is of peace and order, an impression that will resonate with anyone who has undertaken the Haj. It is this very experience that Bayrami has captured as no one has done before.