Exhibition in London: Hossein Valamanesh's "Breath"

- Hossein Valamanesh's works range from multi-media installations to sculpture, video, painting and drawing. Breath, his first solo exhibition in London, will showcase this variety of practice through a selection of bronze sculptural pieces, two installations and several works on paper. - 5/23/13

10th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial kicks off

- The 10th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial, displaying over 500 works by Iranian and foreign cartoonists, was inaugurated during a ceremony at Tehran's Saba Art and Cultural Institute on Monday. This year the biennial is focusing on the themes of "Persian Cat", "Dilemma" and "Superstition". - 5/14/13

Photos: Fifth Tehran International Sculpture Symposium

- Seven sculptors from different countries are participating in the Fifth Tehran International Sculpture Symposium, which opened at Tehran's Noruz Park on Saturday. Among the Iranian sculptors are Mohammad Marvasti, Mehdi Rangchi, Ali Vaziri, Shahriar Rezaii, Samaneh Reihani and Fatemeh Majidi. - 5/5/13

CHOICES: A Travel Account

- Walking aimlessly & losing myself in -- "Sightseeing" around -- Los Angeles -- Practicing to stop the mind its habit of -- Making-unfamiliar-familiar -- Depriving the heart and body -- Of taking in all the freshness & novelty that unseen can offer... -Roya Monajem - 5/4/13

Iranian art collector plans contemporary art museum in Dubai

- Prominent Iranian art collector Ramin Salsali is planning to erect a modern art gallery in the heart of Dubai's commercial centre. The Dubai Museum of Contemporary Art (DMOCA) will be located in the Burj Khalifa district in downtown Dubai and Salsali has announced that he will donate some of his own collection in order to establish the new gallery. - 5/3/13

Event at The British Museum: 'Who is this Hossein the world is crazy about?' The work of Charles-Hossein Zenderoudi

- In 2011, the British Museum acquired an important work completed in 1958 by the renowned modern artist, Charles- Hossein Zenderoudi. This large, linocut print on linen, entitled 'Who is this Hossein the world is crazy about?' illustrates dramatic scenes from the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala (in modern Iraq) in AD 680. - 5/2/13

Exhibition in London by Iranian Artists: Peace from the bottom of my art

- Beyond the artworks presented, the exhibition 'Peace from the bottom of my art' is an expression of everyone's dream of peace. Opera Gallery is proud to host this inspiring collection of all that Iran has to offer, and to guide you in the exploration of those 58 visions of peace. - 4/30/13

Mohammad Ehsai's works achieve high bids at Sotheby's Doha

- Veteran Iranian calligrapher and painter Mohammad Ehsai's artifacts have fetched high prices at Sotheby's Contemporary Art auction in Doha. Listed among the auction's first top lots, Ehsaie's work Love which is an acrylic and silver leaf on canvas in six parts achieved USD 437,000. - 4/27/13

Through Story, a Look into Iran: Newsha Tavakolian's Portraiture

- Look is a devastating portrait of a middle-class in decline, squeezed by economic pressure at home, and dwindling access to the world, a generation of young people whose lives are not reduced to the twilight hour of melancholy that Tavakolian captures, but marred by it. -Azadeh Moaveni, TIME - 4/24/13

In Memory of Farideh Lashai: Exhibitions At Tyler Nahem Fine Art and Leila Heller Gallery in NYC

- Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art (ETNFA) and Leila Heller Gallery are pleased to present two posthumous New York exhibitions celebrating the life and career of internationally renowned, recently deceased, Iranian artist Farideh Lashai (1944 - 2013). - 4/21/13

Iran's cartoonists find new lines of expression

- In 2003, former newspaper editor Ali Reza Eshraghi made a mistake that cost him his freedom: he published a cartoon. The sketch in question, a drawing from 1937 depicting U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt's pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court, seemed an innocuous choice for the Iranian newspaper, Hayat No. -CNN - 4/17/13

Saeed Sedeghi's "Low Economy" tops World Press Cartoon contest

- "Low Economy" by Iranian artist Saeed Sedeghi has won first prize in the Gag Cartoon category at the World Press Cartoon 2013 contest in Portugal. He received the award during a special ceremony at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Center in Sintra on April 12, the WPC website announced. - 4/16/13

Being at home in exile: Shirin Neshat at work

- Shirin Neshat has overcome her obstacles and become an iconic figure very much like Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe., Hamid Dabashi, Al Jazeera - 4/13/13

Anti-Violence artworks on display at Seyhoun Gallery in Hollywood

- Seyhoun gallery in Hollywood is currently playing host to a group exhibition entitled "Replacing Violence with Art" which has put on display works by some Iranian and international artists. - 4/11/13

Painting exhibit to raise funds for child cancer victims in Iran

- A group of children has teamed up to hold a painting exhibition in Tehran to raise funds for children suffering from cancer. Paintings by 54 children will go on display on April 11 and 12 in a showcase entitled "Future Is Mine", Mahak Charity Society, which is the organizer of the event, announced on Monday. - 4/9/13

Two ambassadors hold Iran photo exhibit in Tehran

- Indonesian Ambassador Dian Wirengjurit and the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina Emir Hadzikadunic have travelled across Iran to take the photos for the joint exhibit, which has been entitled "Iran: East and West Perspectives". - 4/8/13

Bita Ghezelaygh: The letter that never arrived

- This is Bita Ghezelayagh's second solo show at Rose Issa Projects, featuring a new body of work that explore the aesthetic and poetic qualities of traditional Middle Eastern and Persian carpets. Bita Ghezelayagh started her career as an architect with a specialism in the restoration of historic buildings, and has always been motivated to preserve traditions threatened by mass production and contemporary taste. - 4/7/13

San Francisco - Art People Gallery's Persian New Year Celebration

- Saturday March 30 - Please join us at Art People Gallery to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and an exhibit of Persian art. The 30 winners of our SNAC Iran 2012 competition will show their works at Art People. - 3/26/13

New York - Persian Arts Festival Celebrate Norooz 2013

- NYC's Persian Arts Festival, Inc. (PAF), an organization devoted to providing a platform for Persian artists and visionaries, joins forces with Le Poisson Rouge and other Persian cultural organizations to present a New Year extravaganza featuring Persian fusion from three of the city's top-tiered bands. - 3/19/13

Photos: Colored Egg Festival at Tehran's Water-Fire Park

- Painted Eggs - symbolizing Humans and Fertility - is one of the Nowruz seven "Haft Chin" items which still decorate today's "Haft Sin" tables - a major traditional table setting of Nowruz. - 3/18/13

Photos: Egg Coloring Festival in Tehran

- An egg coloring festival is being held in Tehran March 15-16 with the participation of 92 artists. The festival is organized by Tehran's Beautification Organization in Fire and Water, City, and Parvaz parks. - 3/15/13

Pop Up tour exhibiting works of Iranian stencil/street artists Icy and Sot

- ICY (born 1985) and SOT (born 1991) are stencil artists from Tabriz - IRAN. they started their professional career in 2008 they had uploaded previous works as early as 2006 and they influenced and dragged their friends to street art. Their works are about peace, war, Love, hate, hope, despair, children, human rights and the Iranian culture. - 3/10/13

Dubai - Magic of Persia's Nowrouz Concert

- Following a great success during Magical Nights 2012, Magic of Persia will be hosting its second Shanbehzadeh Ensemble concert in March 2013. Back by popular demand, Shanbehzadeh Ensemble will be back in Dubai to celebrate Iranian Nowrouz once again! - 3/5/13

Perpetuation of Myth: An Exhibition by Iranian-American Artists

- The Museums of Los Gatos presents Perpetuation of Myth a new exhibition at The Art Museum of Los Gatos at 4 Tait Avenue, Los Gatos, California. Perpetuation of Myth, curated by Nazanin Hedayat Munroe is on view March 7 - April 14, 2013. - 3/4/13

Photos: Tehran's Laleh Park Hosts Land Art Festival

- Tehran's Laleh Park is currently playing host to a festival of land art works. The Tehran Municipality has organized the festival, which commenced on Sunday. "Due to its mission and attraction, the environmental art belongs to the future," festival secretary Ahmad Nadalian said during the opening ceremony of the event. - 2/26/13

Iranian contemporary artist Farideh Lashai dies at 68

- One of the most important and famous Iranian contemporary female artists in Iran and in the world, a translator and writer, Farideh Lashai died on Sunday (February 24), after a long battle with cancer at the age of 68. Despite her illness, she continued her artistic activity until the last days. - 2/25/13

Photos: Fourth soil carpet "woven" in Hormuz Island

- 'Soil carpet' is a sketch of Persian carpet painted on bare soil. The fourth 'soil carpet' was opened to public visit in the Iranian island of Hormuz in Persian Gulf on Saturday. The carpet, measuring 1400 square meters, was created by provincial artists using different colors of natural soil of the Island. Around 40 artists along with another 40 assistants participated in creating this land art. - 2/18/13

Iranian photographer wins awards at World Photo Press

- Iranian photographer Ebrahim Noruzi has won two awards at the World Photo Press 2013. The winners of the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest were announced on Friday. Noruzi won the first prize of the Observed Portraits Section for his photo collection "Victims of Forced Love". - 2/17/13

Photos: The Making of Bakhtiari Rugs

- The Bakhtiari tribe, based in Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari, is well-known for their rugs and weavings. Bakhtiari Rugs are based on a cotton foundation (warp) with a wool weft usually taken from the herds of the producing tribe. This leads to unique carpets that differ depending on the characteristics of each tribe's wool. - 2/16/13

Exhibition: Jewelry With Persian Garden Motifs at Golestan Gallery in Tehran

- A collection of jewelry bearing motifs inspired by the Persian garden will be showcased in an art show at Tehran's Golestan Gallery later this week. The collection has been created by Bahram Dashtinejad and Toktam Fazel, a jeweler couple that always draws inspiration from the Iranian garden for their works. - 2/13/13

The Other Modernism: Rediscovering Iran's Avant-Garde

- Overshadowed by revolution, sanctions, and outdated notions of the Modern, Iran's vibrant postwar art scene is coming into focus at the Asia Society -Robin Cembalest, ARTnews - 2/10/13

Three Iranian artists participating at Florida's "Embracing Our Differences" exhibit

- Graphic designs by three Iranian artists Mohammad Afshar, Maedeh Mosawerzadeh and Mona Farsi will go on display at Embracing Our Differences, an outdoor art exhibition which will be held in Sarasota, Florida from March 31 to May 28, 2013. - 2/8/13

Unexposed: Works by 40 Iranian Women artists to be exhibited in Athens and Warsaw

- Curator Fery Malek-Madani is happy: "What this exhibition and the time I have spent with each one of these young artists gives to me is hope. The sky is clearing, the hurricane is behind us. Blue skies await the country and this younger generation of Iranians. Above all, what will come after the storm is the rebirth." - 2/7/13

Iranian Artist Now Part of MOCA's Permanent Collection

- Farhang Foundation announced today that one of the works of celebrated Iranian artist, Ali Banisadr, will officially go on display from February 10 - March 11, 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) as part of the museum's permanent collection exhibition entitled A Selection of Recent Acquisitions. - 2/6/13

Louvre Museum to showcase works by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat

- The Louvre museum in Paris is slated to hold an event showcasing a series of photographs and films by Iranian photographer and filmmaker, Shirin Neshat, on February 3, 2013. - 2/3/13

A Dialog Between Mahshid Modares and Farzin Hedayatzadeh, An Iranian Leading and Award-wining Sculptor

- Farzin Hedayatzadeh: In my opinion visual arts in Iran are in despair. And, I don't judge this abject situation based on my own personal taste. Contemporary art in Iran is funded on a rudimentary basis and a misunderstanding of modernity. -Translator and Interviewer: Mahshid Modares - 2/1/13

Announcing the Winner of the 2013 Nowruz Banner Contest

- Sheida Koufigar, an Iranian-American graphic designer currently studying at California State University, Long Beach, was named the winner of this year's banner contest, which called upon the public to submit designs that visually represent the spirit of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. - 1/31/13

Iranian Artists Depict the "Agony of Contemporary Iran" in New Book

- Sketches of Iran; Exquisite drawings, some in the unadorned clarity of black and white, others washed in visceral colors, sit side by side with searing commentary by leading Iranian writers, activists, journalists, lawyers, and family members of prisoners of conscience. - 1/30/13

Pearls of Persian art

- Among the roughly 170 pieces of Islamic art that Norma Jean Calderwood and her husband left to Harvard, one in particular hints at the late collector's philosophy: an earthenware bowl bearing, in precise calligraphy, the epigram "Greed is a sign of poverty." -Harvard Gazette - 1/30/13

Economic Sanction: The second international festival of caricature of the Art Center of North Khorasan Province

- The festival was held under the aegis of the center and on the subject of economic sanction and with the goal of producing and creating invaluable works on this topic. - 1/27/13

Iran's Farhadi Completes 'The Past' Shooting in Paris

- Academy Award-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has completed shooting of his new project The Past in Paris during recent days. As Farhadi's sixth directorial experience, The Past depicts the story of an Iranian girl and a boy of North African origin. - 1/27/13

HOMOSEXUALITY IN PERSIAN LITERATURE

- A sharp contrast exists between the treatment of homosexuality in Islamic law and its reflection in Persian literature, particularly poetry (the chief vehicle of Persian literary expression). - 1/27/13

Exhibition in Toronto: 20 Walls, 20 Iranian Artists

- Nami Iranian-Canadian Centre for the Arts (NICCA), is inviting you to its first group art project titled 'Walls'. The project comprises works of 20 Iranian artists and includes paintings, photographs, installations, sculpture, and video art. - 1/23/13

Iranian artists hit by sanctions

- International sanctions imposed against Iran over its disputed nuclear program are affecting all areas of Iranian life. Lately, inflation and a severely depreciated currency have begun to bite in a segment of society that seems far removed from debates over uranium enrichment and "possible military dimensions": Tehran's artistic class. -Sune Engel Rasmussen, Guardian - 1/23/13

Humans Of New York In Iran: Street Portraits By Bandon Stanton (PHOTOS)

- It's not every day a young American photographer decides to pick up and leave for Iran given the thirty years of raging hostility between the U.S. and Iran - but then again, Brandon Stanton is not every photographer. -Shirin Barghi, Huffington Post - 1/21/13

"Fresh Air": 5 Iranian photographers in France

- The House of Artists in Evreux, Normandy in France is currently playing host to a photography exhibition entitled "Fresh Air". Curated by Brigitte Brulois, the exhibition includes works by 5 Iranian photographers: Navid Reyhani, Katayoun Karami, Shadi Ghadirian, Hamid Ghodrati and Mehrdad Asgari Tari. - 1/19/13

Exhibition of Iranian artwork in space

- The Secretary of the Exhibition of Iranian Artwork in the International Space Station says that Iranian artwork has been exhibited in International Space Station. - 1/17/13

DEPTH: Photo Exhibition by Mohsen Shahmardi

- "I'm keen on vacant streets, wastelands, meadows and abandoned places which are not necessarily somewhere. When it is dusty and foggy or a sandstorm occurs, I feel as if I'm under the sea or ocean." - 1/12/13

Creative Hands of Iranian Women: Embroidered Pateh

- "Pateh" is a kind of Iranian handicraft and needlework of colorful wool sewn on women's wear, scarf, and purse. Sewn in the "Toranj" (bergamia), "Sarv" (cypress), and "Booteh" (shrub) patterns (traditional Iranian carpet patterns). Pateh, typically creation of Iranian women and girls, is a spectacular image of colorful flowers and shrubs. - 1/11/13

Exhibition of Rugs by Parviz Tanavoli at Meem Gallery

- Meem Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of Parviz Tanavoli's recent rugs collection. More commonly known for his sculptures and as one of the founders of the 'Saqqakhaneh School', Tanavoli has for many decades researched, written about, collected and created rugs. - 1/8/13

Photos: Lightning by the Caspian Coast in Northern Iran, and more!

- Here are some amazing photos of Iran published by the National Geographic magazine in 2012. Among them is a breathtaking photo of lightning by the Caspian Sea in northern Iranian. - 12/30/12

MesoCity Tehran Workshop: Art, Ecology and the City

- Tehran is the biggest city between Istanbul and Mumbai, a city of 13 million in the desert. Like all other cities in Iran it was positioned strategically at the foot of a mountain in order to source water. But all this is forgotten today, and the urban sprawl has come to erase the memory of the underground water irrigation network: the qanat. -Sara Kamalvand, Nafas Art Mgazine - 12/30/12

32 Iranian artists to raise funds for World Food Program

- Thirty-two Iranian artists have donated some of their works to the United Nations World Food Program to raise funds to fight hunger. The works were unveiled during a ceremony in an exhibit at the Diplomatic Gallery of the ECO Cultural Institute in Tehran on Wednesday evening. - 12/29/12

Photos: The 3rd "Sculpture Biennial for Urban Spaces" in Tehran

- The 3rd Sculpture Biennial for Urban Spaces kicked off on December 16, at Barg gallery, Ein-o-Doleh building in Tehran and will go on for 45 days. The event showcases some 180 works by 172 artists which have been selected by a group of veteran artists. - 12/28/12

Persian Rugs and the Iranian Everyday: Photographer Jalal Sepehr in Yazd

- Jalal Sepehr's Knot series (2011) is comprised of 12 images all including a Persian rug (1m x 70cm) taken in the historic city of Yazd in central Iran. Contrary to initial intentions, some of the images in Knot make use of the historic scenes and examples of architecture found in Yazd. -Ajam MC - 12/28/12

Tehran: Where angels don't fly!

- In one night, 28 out of 30 angel shaped statues have been mysteriously cut from their bases. 23 statues are lying down on the ground and 5 others have disappeared. - 12/25/12

Sanctions: Silent War - Iranian Artist's 'Pill Protest' Highlights Harmful Side Effects Of Sanctions

- Young Iranian artist Sanaz Sohrabi has a mission: to raise awareness of the impact crippling international sanctions are having on ordinary Iranians, especially those living with illnesses. She took the first step this week, setting up a small performance-art protest across the street from UN headquarters in New York. -Courtney Brooks, RFE - 12/22/12

Artworks convey personal stories of persecution

- Works of art by a group of Australian-Iranians are highlighting the issue of religious persecution in Iran. A new exhibition here includes works by artists all of whom have family or friends who have faced oppression and imprisonment by the Iranian regime, in particular for their membership of the Baha'i Faith. - 12/18/12

Photos: Weaving Kurdish Kilims

- These photos show weaving of Kurdish design kilims in Iran's North Khorassan province. The term kilim originates from the Persian gelim where it means 'to spread roughly'. Various forms of the word are used in other languages. - 12/17/12

LOOK: New series of photographs and video by Newsha Tavakolian

- "This time, closer than ever and in my own house, I fixed my camera on a tripod; in front of the window where I'd watched the same view of the city for ten years, a city that I don't know if I love or not. A window that opens on to many other windows that are all closed and I cannot see into." -Newsha Tavakolian - 12/12/12

Tehran gallery hangs works of three generations of female Iranian painters

- Works of three generations of female Iranian painters were put on display in an exhibition at Tehran's Mellat Gallery on Friday evening. One hundred works by 47 artists have been selected for the exhibit entitled "Alternative View", the gallery announced in a press release on Sunday. - 12/9/12

Painting exhibit explores changing identity of Tehran

- Young painter Alireza Adambakan has depicted the changing identity of modern Tehran in his latest collection "My Figures No. 3", which is currently on display in an exhibition at Tehran's Asar Gallery. - 12/2/12

"Alvin Lucier is sitting in the East Art Gallery" in Tehran

- Tehran's East Gallery is currently hosting a sound installation performance based on "I Am Sitting in a Room", by the American composer of experimental music and sound installations Alvin Lucier. - 12/2/12

Taking Risks in Art and Politics

- Over the past two decades, Shirin Neshat has drawn on her personal experience of being an artist at home in the West with roots in Iran to illustrate her creed: "People should be free to choose what they want to do with their lives, what they want to wear, what religion they want to believe in; this is not something a government or a community should impose." -NY Times - 11/29/12

Iranian cartoonist gets Silver Feather in her cap at German contest

- Iranian cartoonist Parya Puladvand won a Silver Feather at Grafikatur 2012, an international cartoon competition held in Lubben, Germany. Her winning work, which depicts a classroom scene, is currently on display in an exhibition at Lubben's City Hall. - 11/28/12

Iranian photographer takes 1st prize of competition in San Francisco

- Farzaneh Radmehr, a photographer from Tehran, was awarded a Gold Medal and took the 1st place prize in The New Images Photography Awards with her photograph "Flying Down". The photograph is part of an exhibition of the Gold Medal Award winners that was held at Studio 17 in San Francisco November 10-25. - 11/26/12

Lecture at Freer Gallery: Making History: Contemporary Art and the Middle East

- The study, display, and collecting of art from the Middle East inevitably involve questions of cultural traditions and identity. Glenn Lowry, former F|S curator of Islamic art and now director of the Museum of Modern Art, shares a unique perspective on the emergence of contemporary Middle Eastern art. - 11/23/12

Persian Garden

- The great substantial art exhibition held on Persian Gardens at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts in 2004 and registration of Persian Gardens on the list of UNESCO World Heritage in 2011, make it opportune to refer to a vital significant point hidden from the eyes of researchers of the subject so far: Persian Garden is the manifestation of a wise-humanist process with its form and geometry naturally following this process. -Khoobchehr Keshavarzi - 11/12/12

Social Order: Women Photographers from Iran, India and Afghanistan

- This important exhibition (at Photo Center NW in Seattle) features five contemporary women artists whose work explores the role of women in the context of cultural constructs, religion, censorship and the media. This exhibition draws powerful parallels and invites us all to reconsider our personal roles as advocates of tolerance and diversity in our cities. - 11/12/12

Photos: Persian Carpet Exhibition in Isfahan

- There is a Persian Carpet exhibition underway in Isfahan, central Iran, with the goal of promoting these handwoven gems in the internal and external markets. - 11/10/12

Photos:A Persian Flower Carpet

- The biggest flower carpet in the Middle East, and the third in the world, measuring about 1,000 meters square, has been unveiled in the town of Mahallat in central Iran. -Mohammad Varvani - 11/5/12

Photos: Festival of Wooden Sculptures in Langroud

- The festival of wooden sculptures is underway by the Chamkhaleh coasts in Langroud, nothern Iran. Langarud is a city in Iran's Gilan Province located on the south coast of the Caspian Sea. 36 sculptures in 16 groups are participating in the festival that will last for 10 days. -Sajad Rafikhah, Jame Jam - 11/4/12

IAF highlights Hossein Mahjubi's 50 years of painting

- Fifty years of Hossein Mahjubi's achievements in painting was commemorated during a ceremony at the Iranian Artists Forum on Sunday evening. Mahjubi, a number of cultural figures, and his fans and colleagues attended the ceremony. - 10/30/12

Met curator Sheila Canby to lecture on Safavid era artist in Tehran

- Sheila Canby, the curator of the Department of Islamic Art of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is scheduled to deliver a lecture about the Safavid era artist Aliquli Jabbadar (1666-1694) at Tehran's Art Study Center on Monday. - 10/27/12

Lost in Paradise: Five Artists from the Middle East and Asia Explore the Theme of Spirituality

- Five artists from Asia and the Middle East, each with their own cultural, social and religious backgrounds, approach the theme of spirituality in this new exhibition from A&E projects. - 10/24/12