Beyond stereotypes: how Iranian art is challenging preconceptions

THE GUARDIAN
By Nadja Sayej

Randy H Goodman – Friday Prayer. Photograph: Randy H Goodman

In a country where the law considers homosexuality, drug-related offenses and “insulting the prophet” crimes punishable by the death penalty, freedom of expression in Iran is limited for journalists, activists and artists. However, Iranian art is not all dark and archaic. Two art exhibitions – one in Los Angeles, the other in New York – have recently opened; one which dispels the misconceptions around Iranian culture, stereotypes and taboos, while the other offers a window into the lives of Iranian women. Both offer insight into how Iran has changed from the past to the present, and perhaps what the future might hold. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently opened In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art, a group exhibition featuring 125 works of art by 50 Iranian artists. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently opened In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art, a group exhibition featuring 125 works of art by 50 Iranian artists. [More]