The international exhibition ‘Rite of Passage’ issued a call for artists to submit their works of art for a show at San Francisco City Hall, California on March 25.
The exhibition covers artworks with themes such as ‘Environmental Art’, ‘Art and Nature’, ‘Nature in Cultures’ and ‘Cultural Celebrations’ such as the Iranian New Year celebrations ‘Norouz’, the Persian art magazine ‘Tandis’ reported.
A statement on the event says: “Human beings have an innate primitive sense of their dependency on nature and their complex relationship to it. This connection appears throughout history and as part of several cultural traditions such as Norouz, a traditional Iranian ceremony which celebrates spring and the Persian New Year in March.”
Norouz is celebrated along with several other festivals like ‘Chaharshanbe Suri’, an ancient fire jumping ritual on the last Tuesday of the outgoing year, or ‘Sizdah Bedar’, a celebration when people spend time outdoors to strengthen their ties with nature.
Coinciding with spring and Norouz, ‘Rite of Passage’ demonstrates the respect and honor in Iranian culture in regard to nature as well as stewardship of the natural environment through the international community.
The submitted works should reflect the unique cultural, spiritual and creative interpretations of the artists, working directly in their natural environment or implementing nature in their art through their creative expression.
The event aims to create “a new conversation between environmental art and personal spirituality, as, through art, an artist also expresses the self in relation to the environment.”
The expo further seeks to address concerns about many of the environmental issues such as global warming and ecological destruction and to raise environmental awareness in the international community.
Accepted works will be displayed by an array of video projectors, screens, and monitors at the venue.
Different Mediums
Artworks in different mediums can be submitted, including photography, digital art, video art, mixed media and painting. Entries will be selected based on their relevance to the theme, creativity and cultural expressions.
‘Rite of Passage’ is an extension of an exhibition (Feb. 20 to March 20), with the same title curated by Iranians Arash Shirinbab and Minoosh Zomorodinia at the Gallery of Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC) in Oakland.
The exhibition at the San Francisco City Hall is co-curated and juried by Shirinbab and Minoosh Zomorodinia with the assistance of Faezeh Faezipour and Shaghayegh Shirinbab. Sponsored by Iranican (Iranian-American non-profit multimedia organization), the exhibition is supported by partner art organizations including Ziya Art Center, Multiverse Art Gallery, Persian Arts Revival, and SAMENA Circle.
