Iran

Art

Imagining Skyscrapers in Iran's Ancient Architecture

Artist Mohammad Hassan Forouzanfar plants skyscrapers in the country's ancient cities and villages in a surreal and spectacular new project.

News

In Letter from Prison, Iranian-American Art Dealer Details Charges Against Him

Karan Vafadari says the Iranian government convicted him of crimes including "collusion in plots against national security" and possession of 124 "inappropriate" CDs.

News

Tehran Gallerist Couple Sentenced to 27 and 16 Years in Prison

Karan Vafadari and Afarin Nayssari were sentenced earlier this month, though what crimes they had been charged with remain unknown.

In Brief

Tehran Gallerists Charged with Trying to Overthrow Iranian Government

Karan Vafadari and Afarin Nayssari, the founders of Aun Gallery, have been held in prison without recourse to legal counsel for over eight months.

Art

How Two DJs Are Defying the Iranian Government with Techno

In Raving Iran, filmmaker Susanne Regina Meures chronicles the struggle of DJs Anoosh and Arash to produce electronic music and raves in their home country.

In Brief

Two Imprisoned Iranian Artists Pen Letter of Protest

"We urge all artists from around the world to show their protest and criticism against all of this," artists and brothers Hossein Rajabian and Mehdi Rajabian wrote in a letter from Iran's notorious Evin Prison.

In Brief

Iranian Court Accuses Artist Parviz Tanavoli of "Disturbing the Public Peace" [UPDATED]

Iranian sculptor Parviz Tanavoli, whose passport border officials confiscated last week at Tehran's international airport, says he faces accusations of "disturbing the public peace" with his artworks.

News

Artist Parviz Tanavoli's Passport Confiscated at Tehran Airport

Authorities in Iran have confiscated the passport of prominent Iranian artist Parviz Tanavoli, who suspects he is being targeted for featuring an image of a woman on the cover of his new book.

Art

The Hazy Chronicles of a CIA-backed Coup

Historical exhibitions tend to consistently draw large audiences — the curious, scholars, or just those who like a cracking good story.

Art

Tehran Diary: The Lives Projected onto Public and Private Spaces

TEHRAN — Traveling from the center to the north of Tehran reveals the city’s multiple elevations: topographical, architectural, and economic.

Art

Tehran Diary: A Largely Local Art Scene Begins to Open Up

TEHRAN — My first impression of the Iranian capital is one of vagueness in a difficult topography, as the city sprawls in all directions and stands at different elevations surrounded by mountains.

Art

An Iranian Artist Who Found a Form of Resistance in Nature

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — For the renegade Iranian artist Farideh Lashai, landscape painting became a reflexive gesture to experiment with new forms and animated methods.