These viral articles are a reflection of what captured our attention the most in 2011.

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20- How U.S. Laws Can Affect Your Personal Affairs in Iran

The current economic and political instability in Iran is causing many Iranian-Americans to sell properties in Iran they did not sell before moving to the United States, be it offices, farmland, factories, or even former family homes.  A number of others are going through Iranian courts to reclaim properties that were seized by the government after the revolution.  What most Iranian-Americans unfortunately do not know is that U.S. laws require U.S. persons (as defined by the applicable regulations) to obtain a license from the Treasury Department to engage in transactions related to the sale of their personal property in Iran.

19- Caspian Sea Is Dying

Caspian Sea is dying and its littoral states (Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan) are not able to decide who owns what and what their responsibilities to the Caspian Sea, towards each other and the non-littoral states are.  The main problem is that the newly independent countries (this includes Russia which is not the USSR) around the Caspian Sea are not ready to give an equitable share of the Caspian Sea to Iran

18- 2011 Sundance Film Festival Presents Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz

Teenagers Atafeh, and her best friend, Shireen, are experimenting with their burgeoning sexuality amidst the subculture of Tehran’s underground art scene when Atafeh’s brother, Mehran, returns home from drug rehab as the prodigal son.

17- Photos: Facebook curly-hair community gather in Tehran’s park

MooFerferia (curly-hair in Persian) Facebook community has about 8000 members worldwide,  and for the first time gathered in Tehran’s Nation Park in January 2011 for a few hours before they were asked to leave by park police.

16- Photos: New Year 2011 at the Vank Christian Church in Isfahan – Iran

The Vank Cathedral was one of the first churches to be established in Isfahan by Armenian immigrants settled by Shah Abbas I after the Ottoman War of 1603-05.

15- Iran: Second anniversary of Neda Agha Soltan ’s killing highlights near-total impunity for officials

Two years after the death of Neda Agha Soltan was captured on a mobile phone and came to symbolize the brutal repression meted out by security forces after the disputed presidential election of 2009, Amnesty International is renewing its call on the Iranian authorities to end impunity for officials responsible for unlawful killings, torture and other human rights violations.

14- The NBC Report That Could Have Been Produced By Iranian State TV

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad prays every morning at 5 a.m., then goes jogging with his bodyguards “at times seemingly ‘Rocky’-style.”

He then heads to the gym. The early bird Iranian president works out for 30 minutes every day before reaching his “spacious but simple office” before 7 a.m.

13- Iranian Actress Marzieh Vafamehr Arrested

According to Iran Green Voice, Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr, wife of film director and screenwriter Nasser Taghvai, was arrested two weeks ago in Tehran and remains in detention.

12- Persian Gulf: A Name for All Seasons

The famous Greek mathematician and astronomer of 2nd Century BC, Claudius Ptolemy was a great geographer as well. His world map is in the shape of a vast hemisphere showing at least 8000 places. In this map, the Persian Gulf recorded as Sinus persicus is clearly shown. Parallel to it, toward south, we find the name Sinus Arabicus or Arab Gulf. From this important map, which together with its marking method – attracted the attention of Islamic scholars a more important point can be derived: Persian and Arab Gulfs were two distinct seas whose names and limits were known even before Christ.

11- Iran photos of the year by Fars

Nineteen Photographs of Iran from 300 images submitted by 90 Fars photographers in 1389.
10- Photos: Lake Urmia-Iran, the third largest salt water lake on earth

The lake (in northwestern Iran) is named after the provincial capital city of Urmia, originally a Syriac name meaning city of water.

Lake Urmia has 102 islands, the second largest island, Kaboudi, is the burial place of Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan.

9- U.S. worried China, Russia will gain access to RQ-170 drone

The controversial U.S. spy drone, which was successfully brought down by the Iranian military in the northeast of the country near the city of Kashmar, is one of the most state-of-the-art espionage instruments in terms of technology and design.

8- I Dream of (A Persian) Jeannie

Stranded on a desert island after his spacecraft malfunctioned, NASA astronaut Tony Nelson comes upon a strange bottle and releases a beautiful girl genie. “Jeannie” as she is called, is more than two thousand years old, is from ancient Persia, and can materialize objects or control any situation with the blink of an eye.

7- Farah Pahlavi’s interview with French Magazine Point de Vue

Ever Since her exile and the death of her husband the Shah of Iran, the life of Empress Farah could have been a succession of tragedies. ” There are moments of great joy “, confesses the Empress to our reporters surrounded by her family in the outskirts of Washington.

6- Designation of Iran Air on OFAC’s SDN List and Restrictions for Iranian Americans

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury announced that it has added Iran Air, the largest Iranian air career, to its “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List” (SDN List).

5- Photos: Bear Cubs Separated From Mommy Bear

Two bear cubs are being cared for at the quarantine center in Lorestan Mountain Park in Khorramabad, western Iran. Environmental protections agents discovered these cubs recently in a box a hunter was carrying with him. The hunter escaped leaving the cubs behind along with unanswered questions about where they had come from and how they had been separated from their mother.

4- Remembering Princess Leila Pahlavi

June 10th is a sad day for the Pahlavi Royal Family in exile. It is marked by a simple gathering in the Passy Cemetery in Paris ever since the demise of the youngest daughter of Shahbanou Farah, the former Empress of Iran, in 2001.

3- Bon Anniversaire Votre Majesté

The Month of October is a joyful one for the Pahlavi Family for it corresponds to several timely birthday celebrations and happy symbolic memories linked to their dynasty that of respectively the Coronation of 1967 and Persepolis Celebrations of 1971. The reason is that October corresponds to the birthday month of the late Shah of Iran ( October 26th, 1919), the Shahbanou (October 14th, 1938) and their eldest son the Crown Prince Reza (October 31st, 1960).

2- Photos: Ali-Reza Pahlavi 1966-2011

Alireza Pahlavi, 44, the youngest son of the former Shah of Iran, died Tuesday morning Jan. 4 2011 at his home in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ali-Reza Pahlavi was born on 28 April 1966. He lived in the U.S. where he received a Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a Masters of Arts degree from Columbia University, and studied at Harvard University as a Ph.D. student in ancient Iranian studies and philology.

1- Photos: Murder convict hanged in public in Iran

Alireza Mollasoltani was hanged today, Wednesday, after the appellate court confirmed his death sentence for the murder of Ruhollah Dadashi. ISNA reports that Mollasoltani was hanged in public in the Golshahr area of Karaj.

Related Posts:

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2. Photos: Ali-Reza Pahlavi 1966-2011

With a quick look at the works visitor can understand the general view of the participating cartoonists, who tried to direct public attention towards the point that in spite of the world being inundated with different sorts of communication means like internet, satellite and TV still book remains the most steadfast friend of mankind.

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First Prize: Mehdi Mohammadi Rouzbahani from Iran

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Second Prize: Naser Moghadam from Iran

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Third Prize: Florian Doru Crihana from Romania

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Special Prize: Jugoslav Vlahovic from Serbia

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Special Prize: Oleksy Kustovsky from Ukraine

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Special Prize: Paolo Dalponte from Italy

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Special Prize: Saman Ahmadi from Iran

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Special Prize: Sevket Yalaz from Turkey

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Special Prize: Shahram Rezaei from Iran

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Special Prize: Valentin Druzhinin from Russia

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Ali Paknahad from Iran

Source: PressTV and  irancartoon

Related Posts:

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2. Cartoons: Iranian women in Metro by Elham Ataei Azar

“The sky is mine” was key theme of the exhibition and the aim was creating a healthy competitive environment for growth and promotion of young talents.

This year’s jury panel included Rima Eslam-Maslak, HamidSouri, Morteza Nematollahi, Malek Dadyar and Kourosh Golnari.

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Photos: Ali Mohammadi from IIPA and  Nazanin Kazemi from JameJam

Related Posts:

1. Echos in Blue – An exhibition of contemporary Iranian art from Tehran in Los Angeles
2. Exhibition: Tehran-New York

‘Zendegi’ in Persian means Life. This first major group show of contemporary Iranian artists in Beirut, sheds light on life and art in Iran as seen through the eyes of several of its most prominent and emerging artists.

Coming from different generations, and using diverse media, they present, investigate and interpret current themes and issues of relevance through their own aesthetic language, merging tradition with modernity.

The older generation pays homage to the country’s poetry, architecture and crafts: Monir Farmanfarmaian through her intricate and dazzling modernist compositions of mirrorwork and reverse glass painting, inspired by Islamic geometric patterns; and Mohammed Ehsai through his flowing calligraphy that reshapes old poetry into modern arrangements.

MITRA TABRIZIAN, "SURVEILLANCE"

Traces of letters, landscapes and faces, often merging or morphing into each other, are the subjects of Maliheh Afnan’s timeless works, in which she discreetly explores themes of displacement, exile and veiled lies; while the great filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, in his minimalist film, Shirin, creates through the close-ups of some 100 women’s faces, a fascinating tension between film narrative and film imagery.

Farhad Ahrarnia, "the dig - composition no.2"

The younger generation also draws inspiration from traditional crafts, combined with contemporary aesthetics and techniques. In her beautifully embroidered felt sculptures, Bita Ghezelayagh revives the felt tradition, combining talismans, old imagery and political text with conceptual art.

Shadi Ghadirian, "LIKE EVERYDAY #4"

Embroidery is also a key feature in the work of Farhad Ahrarnia, who manipulates digital images, with threads and needles – From American beauty queens and soldiers and iconic figures from politics or popular culture.

MALIHEH AFNAN, "CONTAINED THOUGHTS"

The relationship between image and politics is also investigated in the work of Taraneh Hemami, who translates photographs of ‘martyrs’ or ‘heroes’ into beaded curtains, thus paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom.

Farhad Moshiri, MIVEH VA TAREH (FRUITS AND VEGETABLES)

Concern about the status of women – who best embody the conflict between tradition and modernity and the battle of the sexes – is explored in the work of photographer Shadi Ghadirian and multimedia artist Parastou Forouhar.

TARANEH HEMAMI,"HEROES" SERIES

Post-feminism, post-colonialism and the shifting realities of life in post-revolutionary Iran are among the main themes of the work of Mitra Tabrizian, who blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality in her carefully staged photographs.

MONIR FARMANFARMAIAN, "INSTALLATION OF SEVEN ELEMENTS"

Farhad Moshiri’s Reservoirs of Memories – large canvas variations on the theme of vessels, typical of monochromatic functional Iranian pottery, hints at pop and modern consumerist culture through the vernacular sayings inscribed on them.

Parastou Forouhar ,"THE SWANRIDER"

Whether living inside or outside Iran, these artists reflect on the exceptional as well as the ordinary events of daily life.

The exhibition is organised by Beirut Exhibition Center and Solidere (Beirut New Waterfront – Near Bie), curated and produced by Rose Issa Projects. The shows is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.

Beirut Exhibition on facebook

Related Posts:

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2. Echos in Blue – An exhibition of contemporary Iranian art from Tehran in Los Angeles

Tirgan 2011 invites graphic designers to submit their design to the Tirgan Magazine 2011 Cover Design Contest. Designs meeting the following specifications will be considered for further detailed review by the panel of judges;

Submission Criteria

•   All entered work must have been produced between Mar 15 and April 30, 2011.

•   All entry forms are completed and submitted online. There will be a registration form available online for registration submission.

•   Submit only actual hard-copy versions of work. The final hard-copy of your artwork should be submit as a photo or laser colour printout. If you choose to also submit a digital version of your artwork please do so by submitting it online to the email address below.

•   Digital photographs are only accepted for submissions in which hard-copy originals cannot be provided. Photographs should be saved as RGB (not CMYK) JPG format 8.5″ x 11″ at 300 DPI.

•   All mailed-in pieces should be accompanied with a print out of the corresponding entry form.

•   Entries and submissions cannot be returned once entered.

•   Any entries must include a 250 word brief description in English or Persian.

•   By submitting entries, you permit the Tirgan Festival to publish your entered work in print and online for related promotional purposes.

•   All artwork will be judged by a panel of judges

Theme of 2011 Tirgan Festival: Visions of Eternity

Celebrating Past Heritage, Creating Future Heritage

Tirgan is about the legend of Arash, an ancient Iranian archer who lost his life by shooting an arrow that brought hope, peace, and prosperity to all. For thousands of years, Iranian children have listened to story of Arash and later passed it on to their own children. Arash is a legend, and as such, it is timeless. We do not know when it started, but for as long as Iranians remember, it has symbolized our collective hopes, aspirations, and dreams. It has inspired many artistic and literary creations in the past and present. It symbolizes an everlasting, eternal component of our being.

Mail or drop off entries in person to:


E-mail:
Info@tirgan.ca

Online-form

Mailing address:
56 Forest Park Crescent 

Thornhill, Ontario
L3T-2M7

Recognition

The amount of $300 will be granted to the winner of this competition. As well the winner’s work will be published as the Tirgan magazine’s cover and may be used online for other promotional purposes. The magazine will be printed in 10,000 copies and distributed amongst the visitors during the festival.

A selection from our Iranian/Canadian top artists and professionals will form the judging panel.

Details: Judging Criteria

Originality
Do the methods, designs and strategies employed make this project unique and relevant to the theme of the festival?

Creativity
Does this piece incorporate artistic and innovative methods and solutions?

Craftsmanship
Is this piece beautifully crafted and executed? Does it adhere to the standard principles of design in such areas as layout, colour selection, print reproduction, photographic techniques and typography?

Effectiveness
Does this piece successfully communicate its intended message?

Overall Experience
Is this project a valuable and strategic piece of visual communication?

http://www.tirgan.ca/programs/cover-design-contest

Click here to view the embedded video.

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2. Photos: Selected performances from Fajr Theater Festival

In 1976 Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) visited Iran for the first and only time. Accompanying her was Firooz Zahedi, today a successful Hollywood photographer but then a recent art school graduate just learning his craft.

Iran provided an exotic and engaging locale for Taylor, a tireless global wanderer still at the height of her fame. For Zahedi, who had left Iran as a child, this was a reintroduction to his own country, which he experienced not only through the camera lens but through Taylor’s eyes.

It was a remarkable journey for both as documented by Zahedi’s vivid photographs, shown together here for the first time. The pair traveled to the main tourist sites: ancient Persepolis, where the Tent City erected in 1971 for the 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire was still standing, Shiraz home of poetry and wine, and Isfahan renowned for its beautiful tile-clad buildings.

Grouped in narrative fashion, the images depict people and places with the actress as tourist but one so iconic that she is never anonymous even wrapped in a chador. In the Isfahan bazaar, Taylor was attracted to and purchased a traditional tribal outfit. Dressed in this colorful costume and in full make-up, the film star posed as an Oriental odalisque, an especially suitable persona for one who was herself a male fantasy.

 Though Zahedi was to photograph Taylor many times in the years following their Iran trip, none are as personal, candid, or creative as these unique images.

Sources: lacma.org and Firooz Zahedi

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Azadeh tried her hand at writing poetry, and actively participated in literary groups. But all this came to an abrupt end when she unexpectedly had to leave for Australia and take up computer studies in Melbourne, in accordance with her father’s wishes.

Soon, however, she realized that this was not the right course for her, and so she switched to a subject that really interested her, film-making, at the same university. Azadeh pursued her studies with great success, won a scholarship for a post-graduate course, and found well-paid employment. “Everyone was pleased with this successful girl”, as she puts it. Then there came a day when she felt that she could not stay any longer in Australia, and finally decided to return home.

Back in Iran, Azadeh worked as an assistant director to Abbas Kiarostami and Manijeh Hekmat, and made a number of short films which have been screened in several film festivals abroad. But working in the rough-and-tumble of the Iranian cinema eventually took its toll, and once again she decided to change direction. This time though, she seems to have finally found her feet by focusing on the art of photography, about which she is really passionate.

Azadeh has produced several collections of photographs with a variety of themes, including Reflections of Self, Suspension in Tehran, Storytelling, The Passage of Time, and In Praise of Writing. They have been shown in scores of exhibitions in Iran and abroad and have won many awards. But her latest collection, Me as Preferred by Others, is perhaps the closest to her heart.

The project took three years to reach this stage, and she has decided to make it a life-long venture. The development of the idea behind the project was a gradual process based on her personal experience.

She had come to realize over the years that everyone is forced to become a different person vis-à-vis other people. Individuals have to change themselves into the person that ‘others’ want them to be, or that circumstances require. To demonstrate this, she asked different people in diverse locations to choose the way they wanted her to be dressed and then to appear next to her in the photographs.

She chose her subjects from a wide range, including women wearing chadors, fashionable girls in Tehran and Afghan soldiers in Kabul. The result was an imaginative collection of photographs exhibited recently in Tehran.

We can see the entire photographs of this innovative project, as well as a selection from Azadeh Akhlaghi’s previous collections, in this multimedia report.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: jadidonline.com

Related Posts:

1. Photos: Tehran’s brothel district Shahr-e-No 1975-77 by Kaveh Golestan
2. Photos: Facebook curly-hair community gather in Tehran’s park

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Air Aquarium - Director: Yaser Khaseb

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Angels over the city - Director: Jahanzadeh Rashidi

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Bergamot - Director: Gholamreza Jaun-Panah

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Carefree mind - Director: Saheb Ahangar

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Clouds behind larynx - Director: Reza Guran

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Love Method - Director: Azim Mousavi

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Love Method - Director: Azim Mousavi

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Men not allowed - Director: Katayoun Fayz Marandi

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Rumi Opera- Director: Behrouz Gharib Pour

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Sand - Director: Katayoun Hossein Zadeh

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Sleep Requiem - Director: Mohammad Hatami

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Closing Ceremony

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Closing Ceremony

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Photo Sources: Reza Mousavi from dourbin.net and Amid Farah from shabestan.ir

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2. Theater – The Persian Quarter by Salt Lake Acting Company

I am Shiva Alipour and a graduate student at Pratt Institute working on my Masters in Communication Design. Thanks for taking the time to look at and hopefully participate in this project. I was born in Shiraz, Iran and move to the United States with my family around the age of 5, making me a first-generation Iranian-American.

What to do…

1. Gather a few (it could be one or thirty) objects that you keep around the house (or office, car, etc.). The objects should collectively show whatever you feel is or is part of your Iranian-American identity.

2. Once you have gathered these items, take a photo.

3. Submit your photo using the submit button on the right of the page.

4. Please also include in your submission a list or description of what the items are.

Link to Participate

Here are a few samples

Submitted by Yasaman

“In this picture is the Termeh (special hand woven table cloth) that belonged to my great grandma and I got it as part of my dowry and since my immigration I use it for Persian New Year. The box is hand crafted and it’s always on my desk to keep small items. My beloved poetry books. Khatamkari picture frames that adorn my old photos. Mortar and pestle, for grinding saffron and khatamkari saffron box”

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Submitted by Farzad

I usually spend most my time with these objects; A laptop, My Facebook, My Email, My Voice and video communication software to chat with my friends and family, A cup of hot Iranian tea, And a few dates.

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Submitted by Zad

Persian sugar holder. Makes the tea drinking experience more Persian

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Submitted by Melody.

 Piano, Ipod, Pomegranate, Postcard

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Related Posts:

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2. San Francisco – Iranian-American Artist Ala Ebtekar Solo Show re-emergence at Gallery Paule Anglim

Iranian born London based artist Afsoon has re-visited the openness and innocence of the late 60s and 70s, and the blossoming of creativity and progress during that era.

From the Arab World to Iran, from the Indian Sub-Continent to Turkey, the movement continues, and in her series of Icons from these four regions, Afsoon has celebrated some of the most outstanding personalities of these decades, hoping to always keep them and their deeds in the limelight.

Amitabh Bachchan

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Afsoon was born in Tehran in 1961. After spending her childhood in Iran, she moved to the USA in 1979 and then settled in London. Her multi faceted life is reflected in her work, where East merges with West and where the result is at once familiar and alien.

Behrouz Vossoughi

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Her works are multi layered and often combine text with images, using various media such as linocuts, photography, collage and etching. The results are rich yet playful and humorous tableaux which the audience is able to interact with and interpret.

Aishwarya Rai

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Her works have been extensively exhibited and are found in prominent collections including that of the British Museum.

Dalida

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Emel Sayin

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Fairuz

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Fardin

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Forouzan

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Googoosh

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Indira-Gandhi

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Iraj Pezeshkzad

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Mahasti

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Nancy Ajram

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Nasser Malek Motei

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Omar Sharif

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Orhan Pamuk

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Queen Noor

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Tarkan

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Umm Kulthum

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Exhibition Viewing Hours:
March 25 to April 4, 2011
13:00‐18:00 Tuesdays through Fridays
April 5 to May 2, 2011
By Appointment Only

Xerxes Art
52 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RP
t. + (44) (20) 7839-3033

About Xerxes Art

Xerxes Art was the first gallery outside of the Middle East to solely exhibit the contemporary visual arts of Iran and of the World of Islam, and remains the only mainstream gallery outside of the Middle East to focus solely on the contemporary visual arts of the World of Islam including those of Afghanistan, the Arab World, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.

Xerxes represents a noted roster of artists, works mainly in the primary market and concentrates on solo or themed exhibitions by both established and emerging artists. In addition, Xerxes offers art advisory and curatorial services to private, corporate and institutional collections and collectors.

Xerxes’ mission is primarily cultural, as opposed to purely commercial, and as such the gallery uses the entirety of its proceeds and funds to promote the contemporary visual arts of the World of Islam inprominent international fora.

Source:  XERXES ART

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Laleh Ardestani, following a period of expressive show casing of humanly bodies full of emotion, has now taken up a more abstract view.

Although one can still see faded shadows of human body mixed in an entangled mass of centric compositions, but in the implementations of her ideal private spaces, this time she chooses a more vague language.

A hidden volume of flesh, veins and fat, behind an anatomical curtain, and on the sidelines of re-exposure, is just like cutting through the cocoon of individual isolationism which of course invites the viewer to touch and join humans without pleading with them.

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Henna Art Gallery

Henna Art Gallery on Facebook

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Synopsis – A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager’s growing sexual rebellion and her brother’s dangerous obsession.

Maryam Keshavarz (born in New York, United States) is an Iranian-American filmmaker.

Circumstance
Run time: 105 min. | U.S.A., Iran, Lebanon | Language: Farsi with English subtitles | color

Teenagers Atafeh, and her best friend, Shireen, are experimenting with their burgeoning sexuality amidst the subculture of Tehran’s underground art scene when Atafeh’s brother, Mehran, returns home from drug rehab as the prodigal son.

Battling his demons, Mehran vehemently renounces his former life as a classical musician and joins the morality police. He disapproves of his sister’s developing intimate relationship with Shireen and becomes obsessed with saving Shireen from Atafeh’s influence. Suddenly, the two siblings, who were close confidants, are entangled in a triangle of suspense, surveillance, and betrayal as the once-liberal haven of the family home becomes a place of danger for the beautiful Atafeh.

Splendidly constructed and saturated with a sumptuous sense of style and sensuality, Circumstance marks the arrival of an exciting, original talent. First-time feature writer/director Maryam Keshavarz registers a rare glimpse of forbidden love in today’s Iranian youth culture.

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Director:                   Maryam Keshavarz
Screenwriter:           Maryam Keshavarz
Cast:                        Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho, Sina Amedson, Keon Mohajeri

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Producer:                 Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa M. Lee
Composer:               Gingger Shankar
Cinematographer:    Brian Rigney Hubbard
Editor:                     Andrea Chignoli
Coproducer:             Antonin Dedet

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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About Maryam Keshavarz

Maryam Keshavarz studied Persian literature at the University of Shiraz before turning to filmmaking. She has a B.A. in literature and women’s studies from Northwestern University and a master’s in Near Eastern studies from the University of Michigan.

Maryam Keshavarz worked closely with Sundance Institute staff and industry mentors to shepherd drafts into scripts, scripts into films, and films into Festival-worthy features.

Maryam Keshavarz

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Source: 2011 Sundance Film Festival

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2. 3rd Annual Iranian Film Festival – San Francisco: September 18-19, 2010

Mousavi served as the president of the Iranian Academy of Arts until 2009 when conservative authorities removed him due to his 2009 election candidacy and protest.

He was also the main contributor to architecture, and buildings such as Kanoon-e Tohid in Tehran, Beynolharamein Bazaar in Shiraz, Haft-e-tir Martyr’s tomb in Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra, and Salman mosque in the presidential residence.

Mousavi is a relative of fellow Khameneh native Ali Khamenei: Mousavi’s grandmother is Khamenei’s paternal aunt.

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Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh

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Photo Source: honar.ac.ir

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Passion for Perfection will include some 500 objects from the collection of Professor Nasser D. Khalili. From 11 December 2010 to 17 April 2011, De Nieuwe Kerk will glitter with richly illuminated Qur’ans and manuscripts, paintings, gold, jewels, textiles, ceramics, glassware, lacquerware, metalwork, and wood carvings.

These are works of great historical and artistic value, illustrating the refinement and grandeur of Islamic art and bearing witness to a quest for perfect craftsmanship. Passion for Perfection shows that Islamic art is a masterly expression, not of a single national culture or civilization, but of the many peoples joined by Islam for more than 1,400 years.

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At the same time, the exhibition demonstrates the passion and expertise of Professor Khalili, who has assembled an unrivalled private collection of exceptionally fine Islamic art objects. The exhibition designer is Siebe Tettero, particularly known for his work for the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the fashion house of Viktor & Rolf.

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The central theme of Passion for Perfection is the beauty and exquisite workmanship of Islamic art. The Islamic world is highly diverse, geographically and culturally, and more than thirteen centuries of Islamic artistry are represented in the Khalili Collections. It includes masterpieces from all over the Islamic world: from China and India to Iran and Iraq, from Egypt and Tunisia to Turkey and Spain.

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The term ‘Islamic’ does not imply that all these works of art were made specifically for religious purposes; it is their artistic language that is rooted in Islamic philosophy, often reflecting local culture and traditions.

Calligraphic composition in the form of a lion - Ahmed Hilmi - Ink and watercolour on paper - Ottoman Turkey 1913

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Besides calligraphic decoration and geometric patterns, arabesques and elegant scrollwork, there is also a strong emphasis on representations of humans and animals, the latter tolerated only in secular contexts. Many such representations are found in miniature paintings and in virtually all of the branches of the decorative arts.

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The exhibition will be divided into themes such as Captivating Calligraphy, with magnificent illuminated Qur’ans and rare manuscripts dating from the 10th to the 19th century, Shining Showpieces, with ingeniously fabricated jewellery adorned with precious stones, as well as colourful enamels that belonged to India’s Mughal rulers, and Delicately Drawn, with the finest miniatures from Iran and India.

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One highlight is the Jami‘ al-Tawarikh, the first survey of Muslim history, written from the perspective of the Mongol conquerors by Rashid al-Din in 1314’1315.

This is the first time that such a large selection from the Khalili Collections is to be displayed in the Netherlands. The exhibition was previously shown in Sydney, Abu Dhabi, and Paris.

War Mask - Anatolia or Western Iran -15th century

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Drawing of two dervishes - Iran - 15th Century

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Fath Ali Shah's portrait - Iran - 19th Century

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Shirt of steel - Northen Caucasus (for Persian or Ottoman market) - late 15th century

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Silver dirham - Konya

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Turban ornament - South India - 19th-century

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young Woman with Indian headdress - Ferdowsi's Shahnameh - Iran 1648

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Dragon door handles - Jazira - 13th century

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Sources:   De Nieuwe and Khalili Collections

Related Posts:

1. Art Gallery: Afsoon, Icons of the 4 Corners
2. Art Gallery: Zendegi – 12 contemporary Iranian artists in Beirut

Henna Art Gallery is pleased to present the Works of four Young Iranian women: Mina Anooshei, Mahsa Tehrani, Naeeme Naeemaee and Elham Sadeghi. Their paintings reflect their own personal lives while being deeply poetic and internal.

Through their works, they have tried to redefine the modern image of woman and feminism by reinventing traditional paintings with symbols of the modernity.

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Related Posts:

1. Art Gallery: Cocoon, Abstract Human Body by Laleh Ardestani
2. Art Gallery: Contemporary Persian Calligraphy by Fereydoun Omidi