Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art Launches Iran's First Radical Performance Festival
Iran's inaugural festival of radical performance is being organized by the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art to bolster the local arts scene and connect with global performance art. Director Amir Rad indicated that the festival dates will be finalized after the selection of artists, likely around mid-summer. An international jury, featuring Nasim Ahmadpour, Elias Aminian, Saeed Behnam, and others, will oversee the event. This initiative represents a cultural shift under the moderate leadership of President Hassan Rouhani, following Iran's performance art history that began in the 1960s. Although the Shiraz Arts Festival was established in the mid-1970s and later dissolved after the Islamic Revolution, performance art continues to thrive, tackling social issues and critiquing society despite resistance from religious authorities.
Key facts
- Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has organized Iran's first festival of radical performance.
- The festival aims to open Iran to international performance art and develop the domestic scene.
- Director Amir Rad says the festival will likely occur in mid-summer.
- The international jury includes 11 members, notably Enrico Tomaselli from Italy.
- The festival is a step in Iran's cultural opening under President Hassan Rouhani.
- Performance art in Iran began in the 1960s but was undocumented.
- The Shiraz Arts Festival in the mid-1970s was the official debut, abolished after the 1979 revolution.
- Performance art was revived in 2002 under Khatami and faced setbacks under Ahmadinejad.
- Azad Gallery, founded by Romita Sharafjahan and Mohsen Nabizadeh, is a key venue for performance art.
- Performance art addresses social and political issues, offering critiques of Iranian society.
Entities
Artists
- Nasim Ahmadpour
- Elias Aminian
- Saeed Behnam
- Sandra Bosic
- Asghar Dashti
- Aliakbar Firoozjang
- Azade Ganje
- Reza Ghayour
- Amir Rad
- Mehdi Sadr
- Enrico Tomaselli
- Romita Sharafjahan
- Mohsen Nabizadeh
- Niccolò Lucarelli
Institutions
- Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
- Azad Gallery
- Shiraz Arts Festival
- Artribune
Locations
- Tehran
- Iran
- North Karegar Ave.
- Italy