A group exhibition of the best works by contemporary artists in Iran opened at Shirin Art Gallery in Tehran concurrent with the 10th anniversary of the gallery foundation, on December 18.
A total of 44 works of different mediums, including paintings, illustrations, sculptures, and photographs, are on display. One section is dedicated to young artists and the other contains artworks by veterans.
What makes the exhibition a pleasant experience is that on entering the gallery, one is surrounded by a collection of masterpieces from prominent figures of Iranian contemporary art as well as beautiful creations by the young generation, which indicates their talent and potential.
The works have been collected in collaboration with 10 other galleries. “Like all successful activities, this has also been achieved through teamwork. A number of the artworks are owned by Shirin, but some are borrowed from other galleries and collectors,” Shirin Partovi, founder and director of the gallery, told the Financial Tribune.
“Since five years, we have embarked on establishing friendly relations with several other galleries in a bid to help improve the status of galleries and promote visual arts among the public.” Today more people are interested in visiting galleries, starting as a routine hobby and then buying artworks either to decorate their homes or to add to their collection, she noted.
The works in various media exposes visitors to the rich history of art in the country. Parviz Tanavoli, Ali-Akbar Sadeqi, Parviz Kalantari, Abbas Kiarostami, Parvaneh Etemadi, Farideh Lashai, Jazeh Tabatabai and Farah Ossouli are the among the noted artists whose works are being showcased.
Partovi believes that in the past two years more foreigners are paying attention to Iranian arts and culture. Holding exhibitions of Tanavoli’s works at the Davis in Massachusetts and Monir Farmanfarmayan’s works at Guggenheim in New York earlier this year show how much Iranian art is appreciated abroad.
Foreign Visitors
Shirin Gallery opened its New York branch three years ago. It is the only gallery from Iran in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York, a center of the city’s art world with over 200 galleries.
The NY branch seeks to introduce art and culture of Iran to foreign audiences.
“At the beginning, Iranian expatriates comprised the majority of our visitors; however, now more foreigners visit the gallery and are excited to see that we have such creative artists in Iran,” Partovi said.
“More tourists are visiting the country these days and we can perceive that they plan to visit art galleries during their stay as art is a medium for knowing more about how Iranian artists think and work. So local galleries should unite to present our art to the world which is in essence a move toward introducing our culture to the global population which knows little about us,” she added.
To this day, the gallery has pioneered in different initiatives. Five years ago, together with 25 galleries, it held a similar exhibition, which proved to be the beginning of inter-museum relations in the capital. In 2011, it organized a sculpture expo where 140 sculptures by renowned sculptors were put on sale. It was a unique event of its kind for the number of works on display.
The gallery has also been involved in charity. In 2011, it cooperated in holding the first visual art auction in support of patients with cancer. The proceeds were used to expand wings of the Shohada Hospital in northern Tehran.
Except for Mondays, the gallery is open to the public and art enthusiasts can visit the exhibition, which runs through January 13, 2016, at No. 5, 13th St., Sanaee St., Karimkhan-Zand Ave.
