Environmental Art Exhibit ‘Soul of the Earth’

Artworks from different fields of visual arts will be on display at the third environmental art exhibition titled ‘Soul of the Earth’ in May in Tehran.

The third environmental and the first independent project of the art group ‘Soul of the Earth’ on the issue of wildlife, was held last September in Khar Turan National Park (also known as Turan Wildlife Refuge) in Semnan Province, the art website Tavoos reported.

“The aim was to reinforce the place of nature in arts and the bonds between artists and nature from a new perspective. We hope artists will succeed in representing the environmental degradation as well in their artworks,” said project director Mina Mohitian.

There were 35 artists who took part in the project and got acquainted with the region’s wildlife, talked to conservation officers and saw the films and photographs taken by the wildlife specialists.  During the course of the project, the artists learnt more about various factors contributing to the destruction of the environment, such as poaching and illegal hunting.

Painter and graphic designer Behzad Shishegaran, painter Ali Nedaei, sculptor Jamshid Moradian, painter Gizella Varga Sinai, filmmaker Khosrow Sinai, painter Behnam Kamrani and painter Jamshid Haqiqatshenas are among the artists whose works will be presented at the May exhibit.

A book containing all the works will be published by Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Filmmaker Mohammad Hamzei will also release a documentary on the entire project.

The project is slated to continue on an annual basis with a new environmental subject each year.