Reza Khatir was born in Tehran in 1951.
In 1968 he moved to London to continue his education and while at university he discovered a passion for photography. In 1976, he interrupted his studies in food science to dedicate himself totally to a career in photography. He then spent a year in Paris before relocating permanently to Locarno in southern Switzerland in 1977.
Having successfully completed a two year course in advanced photography in Milan, he started his professional career as a photo-reporter working on assignments for press agencies and magazines.
After many journeys which equipped him with invaluable field experience, in 1981 he established his own photographic agency (SKYLITE) in Locarno. In 1986, he launched a magazine called FLAIM in Switzerland and later co-published CHIAROSCURO photo-magazine in Milan. Reza has since also published a number of art and photographic books, and continues to write articles about cinema and photography for the media and art magazines. His most recent publication is a pocket manual on portraiture photography.
Reza also writes poetry in different languages which he occasionally publishes.
Between 1981 to 1992 he worked exclusively with Polaroid Film in all their formats including, and very often, the 20"x24" (50x60cm) camera. From 1992 Reza took time away from photography to concentrate on his writing. In the years since, most of his work has been in black and white. In 1985 he was chosen as one of the 12 new Swiss photographers for Du Magazine by a jury of experts and Swiss museum curators, in 1991 he was one of the international photographers invited to partecipate in the exhibitions entitled “Voir la Suisse Autrement�? to celebrate the 700 hundred years of the Swiss Confederation. He is also in 3 of the 5 “selections�? of the Polaroid International Collection (Selections 2, 3 and 4). In 2001 and 2004 works of Reza Khatir were included in the volume “photography 7th and 8th�? edition “ published by Pearson Education,  Prentice Hall, New Jersy, U.S.A.

Exhibitions ( a selection )

1980
Iran*     Galleria d’Arte   Mendrisio
Iran*     Galleria Ca’ Dal Portic  Locarno
1982
Levitazione istantanea*  Galleria Ca’Dal Portic  Locarno
1984
Die Kunst des Augenblick  Galerie Walchturm   Zürich
Donna in nero*    Galleria Dillo    Locarno
Selections 2    Photokina    Köln
1985
“Tics�? “Femmes en Noir�?*  Galerie Ambre   Paris
Seletions 2    Musée D’Art et Histoire  Fribourg
 International Year  Of  Peace UNO (UNESCO)   New York
Sofortbilder in Posteformat  Musée D’Art et Histoire  Fribourg
1986
U S P ( + 20 photos )*   Villa Malpensata   Lugano
Fotografi ticinesi   Finter Bank    Chiasso
Selections 3    Photokina    Köln
50 Jahre Moderne Farbfotografie Photokina    Köln
Polaroids*    Galleria Fotografia Oltre  Chiasso
1987
Ricordi*     Galerie Off  Limits   Zürich
Pensiero Dominante*   Galleria IF    Milano
Selections 3    Museum Fur Kunst   Hamburg
Selections 3    Münchener Stadtmuseum  München
Manipulierte Wirklichkeit  Galerie Nikon   Zürich
Selections 3    Museo de Arte Contemporeneo Madrid
1988
Het Portret*    Canon Photo Gallery  Amsterdam
Selections 3    Republibank    Houston
Selections 3    Photo Forum Bremen  Bremen
Selections 3    Scotish Counsil   Edinburgh
Selections 3    Museo d’Arte Moderna  Mexico City
Unterwasser-Fotografie Total Galerie Nikon   Zürich
Polaroid International Coll.  Musée de l'Elysée   Lausanne
Selections 4    Photokina    Köln
Selections 4    Musée de l'Elysée   Lausanne
1989
Selections 4    Idea Book    Milano
Figure*     Museo Elisarion   Minusio
50x60 Polaroids*   UBS     Locarno
Selections 4    Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Caracas
1990
Selections 3    Kultur Abteilung Bayer  Leverkusen
All’est della Luna*   Galleria Diaframma   Milano
1991
East Of The Moon*   Galerie Nikon   Zürich
Voir La Suisse Autrement *  Musée D’Art et Histoire  Fribourg
Photoart 91    Schloss Ottheinrichbau  Heidelberg
Sviluppi non Premeditati  Palazzo Delle Esposizioni  Roma
1992 
Forse, in un’Altra Vita*   Galleria Ca’ Dal Portic  Locarno
Polaroid International coll.  Galerie Nikon   Zürich
1994
Portraits D'Enfants*   Am Stram Gram   Geneve
(une exposition du Musée de l'Elysée) 
1995
Un Passo Prima Dell’ Alba*  Photografica    Tenero
1996
Oblivion*     Museo Elisarion   Minusio
Zone   (Con Marco Gurtner)  Museo Elisarion   Minusio
1997
 Gardens of Kâvous *  Museo Epper    Ascona
1998
Oblivion/ Streams I *   Galleria il Cavalletto  Locarno
1999
Streams I *    Galleria Diaframma   Milano
2000
Collection du fond C.Cotti  Musée Des Beaux-Art  La Chaux 
de la ville de Lugano        de Fonds
2001
Coll. Fondo C.Cotti   Kunst Museum Olten  Olten                  
2003
Coll.Fondo C.Cotti   Museo cantonale d’Arte  Lugano
Subaquea *    Galleria Fondazione Patelli Locarno
2004
The Mention of your name *  Museo Casa Cavalier Pellanda Biasca
2005
Fotografie dalla collezione
Del museo cantonale d’arte  Museo Cantonale d’Arte  Lugano
Iran*     Museo Elisarion   Minusio
Subaquea*    Finter Bank Zürich   Lugano
The Kindness of Strangers*  Finter Bank Zürich   Chiasso

Publications (Portfolios) non comercial

Photographie    9,1982/ 9,1985/ 6.1988/ 2.1989.  Schaffhausen
DU    8.1985     Zürich
Photo Technik    4.1986     München
Flaim    4.1986     Locarno
Progresso Fotografico  3.1987     Milan
Photographis   5.1987     Zürich
Diorama    7.1987 /9.1987    Madrid
Portfolio         5.1986 / 12.1988    Schaffhausen
Almanacco Locarnese  9.1988     Locarno
Chiaroscuro   7.1990     Milano
Marie Claire   2.1991     Milano
Kunstforum   4.1992     Köln
Photography (7th Edition) 7.2001     New Jersey
Architecture & Urbanism 1.2004     Tehran
Photography (8th Edition) 4.2004     New Jersey

Books

Chronik in Schwarz  Verlag Photographie  Schaffhausen 1988
Figure    B&R Khatir Editori    Locarno  1989
Rooms    B&R Khatir Editori    Locarno/Zürich   1990
Piccolo Manuale del Ritratto Edizioni Skylite  Locarno  2000

Catalogues

Selections 2   Polaroid Corp.  Cambridge USA 1984
Selections 3   Polaroid Corp  Cambridge USA 1986
50 jahre moderne farbefotografie Photokina  Köln   1986
Het Portrait   Canon Photo Gallery Amsterdam  1988
Selections 4   Polaroid Corp.  Cambridge USA 1988
Voir la Suisse Autrement Musèe d'Elysèe  Lausanne  1991
Sviluppi non premeditati Edizioni carte segrete Roma   1991
Arte Contemporanea Svizzera  Edizione Fondo Cotti Lugano  2003
The Mention of your name Edizioni comune Biasca Biasca  2004
Una casa per l’Arte  Fondatione Patelli  Locarno  2004

Prizes
 
Secondo premio NIKON INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST  1982/3    TOKYO
Menzione Speciale GRAN PREMIO SVIZZERO DELLA FOTOGRAFIA1986  ZÜRICH
Terzo premio HARLEM INTERNANIONAL GOUDEN MUG  1986     HAARLEM
Medaglia d'oro INTERNATIONAL PHOTO SALON OF JAPAN 1988     TOKYO
Certificate of Excellence INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION  1988               NEW YORK