Tehran’s Dar ul-Funun will host the first artistic award ceremony, referred to as ‘Heart of Tehran,’ on April 14 to mark the 230th anniversary of Tehran as the national capital of Iran.
Tehran was chosen as the Iranian capital by Agha Mohammad Khan of the Qajar Dynasty in 1786.
Established in 1851, Dar ul-Funun is the first modern university and modern institution of higher learning in Iran.
The event is aimed at motivating artists to create works of art on the historical capital city, its civilization, tourism, grand bazaars, and other highlights, specifically District 12 which has several historical monuments.
The ceremony will award winners of competition in the fields of photography, poster, movie and animation in two ‘main’ and ‘special’ sections.
Tehran’s District 12, home to the capital’s outstanding ancient monuments and historical urban textures, is abundant with potential subjects for works of art and deserves to be pictured from an aesthetic point of view, Masoud Tabatabaei, a member of the event secretariat was quoted as saying by Azad News Agency.
“The world of arts offers a wide gamut of mediums and means of introducing a city, a historical place, an outstanding figure or a history-making event. The upcoming program is a promising artistic event and will help motivate the country’s artistic capacities to flourish,” he said.
The ‘special’ section is devoted to the Plasco tower tragedy in the city in which a huge blaze on January 19, led to the building collapse. The section is a tribute to the victims, including the 16 firefighters and four others who died at the scene.
The catastrophic event inspired foreign artists around the world to create caricatures and paintings on the subject.
The event officials are pondering on an additional section for foreign works of art, Tabatabaei added.
Enthusiasts may submit their works by April 3. The jury comprising 12 outstanding artists in different fields will select the best works from the submitted entries for cash prize and a commendation letter from the Tehran Municipality at the award ceremony.
All selected works of art will be featured in an exhibition at the venue from April 14-28.
