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Her work has traveled internationally and she has had many solo exhibitions. She studied photography at the University of Tehran and graduated with an M.A. in 2005. During her studies and throughout her life, she noticed the impact the Iran-Iraq War had on her country. Though the war ended in 1988, the country is still in the process of rebuilding. Dashti's earlier work looks at the lasting marks that were caused by the war, not only at the violence but also at the stories of the people and the land. In this way, she is considered to be a conflict photographer, but her work contrasts with the stark photojournalism that often is produced to represent the effect that war has on a country and its people. In 2017, her practice shifted slightly. Dashti began investigating the natural world and the relationship it has to humans. Though the subject matter differs from her earlier work, her practice at its core is still rooted in her country, its culture and her experiences within these.

Gohar Dashti (born 1980 in Ahvaz, Iran) is an Iranian photographer and video artist who lives and works in Tehran. The dominant theme in her work is her native country, particularly its unique topography and history of violence.

Born in 1980 in Iran, Dashti came into the world at a time when the Iranian Revolution had just ended and the Iran-Iraq War was just beginning. She grew up in Ahvaz which is positioned close to the Iran-Iraq border, causing her life to be very affected by the violence happening just beyond her doorstep. Many families that lived in Iran at the beginning of the war decided to move, to put some distance between themselves and the fighting, but Dashti's family decided to stay. There were many times that she and her family would go up on the roof when there was a pause in the fighting to collect bullets that were left. The family, like many others, were at constant risk of bombings and often the streets would ring loud with the sounds of warning alarms. Her experiences in her childhood and her culture have heavily influenced most aspects of the work she creates as an artist.

In the year of 1980, Iraq invaded the country of Iran. The countries were at war primarily due to the fact the president of Iraq (at the time), Saddām Hussein wanted to regain control of land that was held by Iran and also sought to acquire new land that was abundant in oil. Because Iran had just formed a new government, Iraq was able to advance on them largely by surprise. Iraq was met by unsuspected strong resistance in the first years of the war. After Iraq decided to retreat and make peace in 1982, Iran's leader Ruhollah Khomeini instead continued the opposition against Iraq in attempts to unhinge their leadership. Iran's attacks were frequent and often young untrained soldiers were forced into fighting.

Additional peace attempts were made by Iraq in the mid-1980s but these were not received well due to their army's use of chemical warfare that caused a significant number of casualties, including civilians. In 1988 Iraq began to make headway in the war and Iran's economy was starting to fail thus causing them to comply with a cease-fire. The countries agreed on terms to end the long dispute in 1990. Troops returned to their home countries as well as prisoners, with the last prisoners released in 2003. The final losses were great on both sides, though Iran faced more damage and casualties. The war left its mark on both countries and its people with reparations still being made for countless years after.