Art in Context: Iran

On October 11, 2017, International Arts & Artist (IA&A) hosted Art in Context: Iran, a discussion on Iranian culture, identity, and the broader conditions impacting creative work and partnerships. The discussion was held in conjunction with Urban Mapping, an exhibition of photography and video art on view at IA&A at Hillyer (formerly Hillyer Art Space). Curated by Gohar DashtiUrban Mapping examines the concept of “public space” from the perspective of ten contemporary Iranian artists.

The conversation, which was moderated by Nazila Fathi, reporter and author of The Lonely War: One Woman’s Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran, featured voices from the arts, media, and nonprofit worlds, including Bahar Jalehmahmoudi, an Iranian-American installation artist and sculptor, and Shahrooz Shekaraubi, Founder and President of the Aftab Committee, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that supports Iranian-American artists and their works.

During the discussion, panelists reflected on how shifting social and political conditions have shaped successive generations in Iran and the diaspora leading to different forms of creative resistance and new developments in the Iranian art market. Panelists discussed their contrasting interpretations of works featured in Urban Mapping, from the hyperpolitical to the uniquely personal. Shekaraubi and Jalehmahmoudi noted that many Iranian and Iranian-American artists experience an undue burden of representing their entire culture to viewers. On the issues of censorship and resistance, Jalehmahmoudi and Fathi highlighted various ways in which artists, filmmakers, and writers working in Iran contend with limits on free expression. Shekaraubi identified challenges particular to the Iranian context, including the concentration of galleries in Tehran, the political conditions impeding international exchange, and the influence of art collectors seeking work that aligns with stereotypical views of Iran.

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A project of IA&A’s Cultural Exchange Programs, the International Partnership Initiative champions international work between American arts institutions and their counterparts abroad by creating a forum for discussion and discovery among leaders in the artistic, academic, diplomatic, and policy communities. The Initiative’s research and programming facilitates cross-cultural understanding and builds stronger ties through global partnerships in the arts.

Art in Context: Iran

On April 8, 2016, IA&A was honored to host a panel discussion with Barbara Slavin, Acting Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, and Sara Namjoo, an Iranian illustrator and animator, at IA&A’s Hillyer Art Space.

Art in Context: Iran wove the arts and foreign policy sectors together to discuss concrete experiences of life in Iran and societal evolution over recent decades. Through descriptions of Iran pre-Revolution and post-Revolution, Slavin and Namjoo emphasized the contrast between the grayness of a post-revolution childhood and the rich colors and designs in Tehran. In addition to comments on their personal experiences, the panelists dismantled myths about Iranian society and culture, particularly in regards to women, who currently enjoy a variety of career opportunities and influential positions. The discussion also touched on the Iran Nuclear Deal, which recently lifted decades of oil and financial sanctions. The panelists spoke to the importance of the deal, which was intended to re-open Iran to the global economy and allow new channels of international collaboration. In particular, panelists considered how increased collaboration through the arts can offer non-political means of establishing bonds between nations.

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A project of IA&A’s Cultural Exchange Programs, the International Partnership Initiative champions international work between American arts institutions and their counterparts abroad by creating a forum for discussion and discovery among leaders in the artistic, academic, diplomatic, and policy communities. The Initiative’s research and programming facilitates cross-cultural understanding and builds stronger ties through global partnerships in the arts.