TEHRAN, March 14 (Mehr News Agency) -- The winners of the seventh edition of the Iran Contemporary Painting Biennial were announced here on Wednesday at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA).

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Hossein Saffar Harandi, Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Mohammad-Hossein Imani Khoshkhu, TMCA curator Habibollah Sadeqi, and a group of artists attended the awards ceremony.

The culture minister gave a short speech in which he said Iranian artists have attracted the attention of the world.

"The active participation of the youth in the biennial shows their great interest. Our artists do not hide beauty within themselves, they display it all and let others enjoy the beauty as well," he noted.

Habibollah Sadeqi also gave a short report about the biennial and announced that Iran would be holding over 10 exhibits in European countries in 2008.

He added that the biennial has been extended until April 8.

Following is the list of winners who were awarded at the event:

* "Our Home, Iran" section: Khalil Samaii, Bahman Mohammadi

* "The Notion of Dark and Light in Iranian Culture" section: Amaneh Golgan, Babak Afsharzadeh, and Elham Yazdanian

* "Free-Theme" section: Saeid Ahmadzadeh, Vahid Chamani, Ali Shafie-Abadi, and Hamidreza Yaraqchi

Selected works from the biennial, which opened at the TMCA on February 9, are currently being showcased at the Saba Art and Cultural Institute.

... Payvand News - 03/14/08 ... --