Ai Weiwei’s Latest Exhibition Highlights Fate of Iranian Activists
By Tara Biglari
Iranian political activists, depicted in LEGO® blocks, are among the works by the outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei featured in his "Trace" exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington,...
How Central Asia Has Had a “Raw Deal” for 200 Years
When people think of Central Asia, they usually associate the region much more with the former Soviet Union than with Asia or even the Middle East – and sometimes even less so with Islam....
A Persian Puppeteer in London
By Tara Biglari
"Dream and Destiny: Persian Modern Tales" was the title of a show performed at the Little Angel Theatre in Islington, north London, in September. It was the work of the Little Giants...
Iranian Films Win Awards At Venice Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
Iranian filmmakers and actors won three awards in the Horizons (Orizzonti) section of the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. The section runs parallel to the main festival competition.
Dominique Welinski and René...
Pioneering Film Poster Artist Qazi Falls on Hard Times
Manouchehr Qazizadeh, fondly known as “Qazi," was one of Iran’s leading film poster artists before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now destitute, he is forced to sell his oil paintings in the streets of Tehran,...
Looking to Buy Iranian Art? You Can Shop Online With ARTIANA
By Tara Biglari
ARTIANA, a gallery based in Dubai, is launching its first auction site for Middle Eastern art in November. ARTIANA has had previous online auctions in Dubai, but this is the first time...
The Shah’s Dying Days: Interview with Filmmaker Bobak Kalhor
By Fred Parvaneh
"A Dying King” is a documentary by first-time filmmaker Bobak Kalhor that examines the untold medical story of the late Shah of Iran and the truth behind his death in July 1980.
The...
German-Iranian Author Nava Ebrahimi Discusses Her First Novel
By Behjat Omid
A wave of titles by second-generation German-Iranian authors is making its way into German bookstores.
Critically acclaimed releases include Nava Ebrahimi’s "Sechzehn Worter" ("Sixteen Words"), Shida Bazyar’s "Nachts ist es Leise in Tehran"...
Venice Film Festival Hosts Filmmakers Shirin Neshat, Khatami
Four Iranian directors are presenting their movies at this year's Venice Film Festival (which ends Sept. 9), all of them outside of the official competition. They include Shirin Neshat, who won the festival's Silver...
Fighting for Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights: A Talk with Author Diana Nammi
By Tara Biglari
Diana Nammi has spent the past few decades fighting to protect Iranian and Kurdish women against so-called honor killings, forced marriage, child marriage and domestic abuse. In a recent talk in north...
