Developed over 2005 – 2006 with a small show in mind of 6 artists.

TEPP grant awarded for the development of the project through M&GSQ.

Curator Mandana Mapar travelled to Tehran in 2006 to confirm participating artists,visiting studios & galleries. Met with artists, curators, writers and film makers.

In September 2006 the exhibition was launched at Gold Coast City Art Gallery inconjunction with the first Queensland Festival of Photography.

• 18 artists represented• 44 art works including photographs, an artist book and video works

Challenges:sourcing sponsorship, lack of support from Iranian embassy Canberra,insufficient funds to fly artists out to Australia for launch, immigrationchallenges with visas and turn around time of applications

Ey! Iran Contemporary Iranian Photography Exhibition

Risks inherentThe exhibition was proposed to 16 different galleries

throughout Australia and to 12 different galleries in NewZealand.

Gold Coast City Art Gallery and Flinders University ArtMuseum were the only venues within Australia to havethe show.

Challenges:First time curator and sensitive subject matter, hesitation

on the part of the venues due to lack of a ‘targetaudience’ some galleries perceived that an exhibition ofIranian photography would only be seen by an audienceof Iranians

Timing – in 2005-2006 the new hardline government hadturned back the reform agenda set in motion by Khatami

Hana Mirjanian

Ghazaleh Hedayat Hamila Vakili Dadbeh Bassir Shadi Ghadirian Mohammad Ghazali

Amirali Ghassemi Leila Pazooki

Angela & Hossein Valamanesh

Bahman Jalali

Mohsen Yazdipour

Sadegh Tirafkan

Ey! Iran Artists

“94 years ago a photo studio was opened in Esfehan called Chehrehnama. This studio was oneof the most important studios in the history of photography in Iran. After the revolution I came

across the sign for the Chehrehnama studio which had been closed years ago.Someone had drowned with red paint on it in order to ruin it. From what I have heard women’s

picture without the veil were taken in that studio and maybe this was in reaction to that.” B. Jalali

Bahman Jalali, lecturer to a number of the artists at Azad University Tehran

Hossein Valamanesh

Hossein Valamanesh Longing Belonging 1997 C type photograph 90 x 90cm edition of 3. Courtesy the artist

‘beggargraphy to chador art’

Shadi Ghadirian, Untitled 1 From the series Like everyday,2001. Type C photograph, 50x50cm

Shadi Ghadirian, cover of monograph by Rose Issa 2008

Amirali Ghassemi, Coffeeshop Ladies No.1, 2005Digital print on photographic paper, 50x70cm

parkingallery.com independent art space in Tehran responsible for fashion shows, Poster design festivals & journalism

Cover of Iranian Photography Now publication 2008featuring Amirali’s work

Leila Pazooki, Objekt one, 2004

Ghazaleh Hedayat My Esfehan, 2002Type C print, 1/5, 28x42cm

New Zealand Tour2008 – 2010

Exhibition Services andMark Roach

Lopdell House GalleryWaitakere City Auckland

Aratoi Museum, Masterton

Hastings City Art Gallery

Pataka, Wellington

Dunedin Public Art Gallery

Ashburton Art Gallery

Canterbury Museum

Whangarei Art Museum

Tauranga Art Gallery 60,000 Australians and New Zealanders will have seen the show by 2010!

“While big picture politics may be off themenu, there's plenty on display in Ey!

Iran to show that vigorous discussion oflocal issues familiar to New Zealand

audiences is part-and-parcel of life inTehran.”

Matt Nippert Eye on Iran, NZ Listener

Questions raised by the exhibition and reiterated for the national populationin an interview with Bryan Crump, producer Robyn Walker, Radio NationalNew Zealand

• Was it easy enough to find pictures of a high enough quality• Are galleries popular in Tehran• Why did you leave Iran• Would you like to return• How has leaving Iran changed your work• How do you see life and art developing in your home country

over the next decade

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/20080710

Iranian society faces a variety of challenges which may differ from those facing the Iranian government. Recent demonstrations throughout Iran garnered worldwide sympathy and support for the Iranian people in contrast to previously held global views of Iranians.

Iranian.com

Exhibitions like ey! Iran cancounteract the fear and uncertaintyheld by western society about thepeople of Iran.

Exhibitions can reach wide audiencesand help in promoting a betterunderstanding of different cultures.

This sense of understanding may beenough to curtail senseless wars andthe destruction of livelihoods.