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Tehran museum hangs works by Georgian photographer Antoine Sevruguin

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TEHRAN – A selection of photos by Georgian photographer Antoine Sevruguin (1830-1933), who lived in Iran during the Qajar era, has been put on display in an exhibition at the Iran Photo Museum, which is also known as Axkhaneh Shahr.

Forty photos in black and white featuring Sevruguin’s family members and relatives are on show in the exhibit, which opened yesterday, the museum announced in a press release on Tuesday.

Sevruguin was born in Iran, but his mother returned with her family to her hometown of Tbilisi, Georgia, after his father, Vassil, a Russian diplomat in Iran, died in a horse-riding accident.

Sevruguin studied to become a painter. Accompanied by his two brothers, he returned to Iran in the early 1870s and established a photography studio first in Tabriz and then in Tehran.

Many of the early portraits of dervishes and women have been attributed to Sevruguin.

The exhibit will be running until May 15 in the museum, which is located on Bahar Shiraz St. near Haft-e Tir Square.

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Florentines impressed by exhibition of Iranian handicrafts

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TEHRAN – Iran’s exhibition at the 78th International Handicrafts Trade Fair in the central Italian city of Florence has been warmly received by the visitors.

Iran is the guest of honor at this year’s fair, which comes to an end today.

Persian carpets and kilims, textile printing artworks, traditional jewelry, as well as silver, bronze and ceramic handicrafts, miniatures and special hand-blown glass products have been displayed since the opening day on April 24.

Every day, visitors carefully examine the handicrafts and are delighted by the taste of traditional cuisines offered in Iran’s different pavilions at the event, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Tuesday.

An Iranian ensemble also plays traditional music live for the visitors, while delicious dates, pistachios, saffron and typical Iranian sweets are offered in this special area.

“We are extremely honored and pleased with the presence of Iran as Special Guest Country of the 78th edition of the exhibition, and we believe this is a valuable opportunity for people to get to know better the cradle of one of the most ancient human civilizations,” the Iranian ambassador to Rome, Jahanbakhsh Mozaffari, has said in a statement.

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New edition of Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp unveiled in Tehran

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TEHRAN -- A new edition of the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp was unveiled during a special ceremony in Tehran on Monday.

The version was published by the Iranian Academy of Arts (IAA) and the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

A large group of literati and Shahnameh experts including Jalal Khaleqi and Mir Jalaleddin Kazzazi along with Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, IAA Director Ali Mo’allem Damghani, and a number of other cultural officials attended the ceremony, which was held at the IAA.

“The Shahnameh is the national identity of Iranians and the report card for the religion of Shiism,” Mo’allem Damghani said during his speech at the ceremony.

“During the reign of sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, Ferdowsi gathered part of the Iranian myths with the help of Zoroastrian priests and with his divine skills, composed the legends in a book that is one of the best examples of an epic in the world,” he added.

In addressing the ceremony, Culture Minister Jannati said, “The Shahnameh has been a source of inspiration for artists, poets, writers, thespians, musicians and calligraphers over the past millennium.”   
 
“This version of the Shahnameh crossed the boundaries of the history and geography. American and European scholars and art experts spent years studying the work and expressed their sincere love for it,” he added.

The Shahnameh Shah Tahmasp, also known as the Shahnama-ye Shahi, is one of four historical copies of Ferdowsi’s epic masterpiece.
 
The edition, which is considered to be the most magnificently illustrated copy of the epic ever produced in the history of Persian painting, was commissioned by the Safavid king Shah Tahmasp in the 16th century.

Shortly afterwards, the Safavid royal court sent the manuscript to the Ottoman sultan Selim II (r. 1566–1574) as a gift to congratulate him on his accession to the throne.

The manuscript was kept at the library of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. However, it surfaced in the private library of Baron Maurice de Rothschild, a rich French Jewish national, in Paris in the early 20th century.

He died in 1957 and the American collector Arthur Houghton acquired the manuscript from the Rothschild estate.

Houghton began gifting and selling individual pages of the manuscript to collectors and museums allegedly to escape from paying tax.

Only 120 Persian miniatures and the binding of the original remained in Houghton’s estate after he died in 1990. Subsequently, the miniatures and the binding were sold at auction for a price of $20 million. However, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art acquired the manuscript in exchange for De Kooning’s “Woman III”.

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has 78 pages from the Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp in its collection.

Copies of the book, which was recently been published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Iranian publisher Vijeh Nashr, are on sale at the 27th Tehran International Book Fair.

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President Rouhani opens Tehran Intl. Book Fair

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TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the 27th Tehran International Book Fair during a ceremony on Tuesday morning.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, TIBF Director Seyyed Abbas Salehi, and representatives of Iranian and foreign publishers attended the ceremony.

“A book, its publisher, and the reader are respected as much as wisdom itself,” Rouhani said during the opening ceremony.

“God has sworn by the pen. Therefore, it is respected and the writer is more respected,” he added.

“We should try to pave the way for book writing and reading… if we want books to obtain their rightful place, we should provide security and freedom for their writers and publishers,” Rouhani stated.

“The international book fair is a kind of public diplomacy and a place for cultural exchanges and interactions,” he added.

Afghanistan is the guest of honor at this edition of the Tehran International Book Fair.

About 600 foreign publishers from Germany, France, Turkey, Japan, Lebanon, Syria, China, Qatar, and several other countries will be presenting about 160,000 of their latest publications during the event.

The organizers have also arranged open-air theatrical performances and some other cultural programs.
 
Cultural exchanges, translation, copyright, and several other subjects will be discussed at meetings on the sidelines of the fair, which runs until May 10 at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla.

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What’s in art galleries

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Painting 
 
* Paintings by Samila Amir-Ebrahimi will go on display in an exhibition at the Tarrahan-e Azad Gallery from May 2 to 13.
 
The gallery can be found at 41 Salmas Square, off Fatemi St.
 
* The Shirin Gallery will hold an exhibition of paintings by Negar Orang at its Hall 1 from May 2 to 13. Hall 2 will simultaneously host another exhibition of paintings by Jamshid Mohammadi.
 
The gallery is located at No. 9, 18th St. in the Velenjak neighborhood.
 
* Paintings by Mehdi Pazuki will be put on display in an exhibit at the Haft-Samar Gallery from May 2 to 7.
 
The gallery is located at No. 8, Fifth Alley, Kuh-e Nur St., off Motahhari Ave.
 
* The Seyhun Gallery will host an exhibition of paintings by Alireza Puya from May 2 to 14.
 
The gallery can be found at No. 11, 4th Alley, Vozara St.
 
* Paintings by Mehdi Mohebali will be showcased in an exhibition at the Elaheh Gallery from May 2 to 12.
 
The gallery is located at 6 Golfam St. off Africa Ave.
 
* The Atbin Gallery will play host to an exhibition of paintings by Vahid Mohammadi from May 2 to 23.
 
The gallery is located at 42 Khakzad Alley, Parkway Intersection, near Vali-e Asr Ave.
 
* Works by a group of painters will be put on show in an exhibition at the Vaali Gallery from May 2 to 12.
 
The group is composed of Saba Imani, Fattaneh Forughi, Amir-Kasra Golrang, Yasra Mojtahedi and Janan Nozari.
 
The gallery is located at 71 Khoddami St. off Vanak Square.
 
* Paintings by Sharareh Salehi will go on display in an exhibition at the Shokuh Gallery from May 7 to 11.
 
The gallery can be found at 19 Amir Nuri Alley, North Salimi St. near Andarzgu Blvd.
 
* A group of painters will showcase their latest works in an exhibition at the Shila Gallery from May 2 to 13.
 
Khosro Khosravi, Mehrdad Khataii, Ali Nedaii and Amin Nurani are among the members of the group.
 
The gallery is located at 2 Gilan Alley, off Vali-e Asr Ave. near Taleqani Ave.  
 
 
Cartoon
 
* The celebrated cartoonist Kambiz Derambkhash will present his latest works in an exhibition at the Sareban Gallery from May 2 to 15.
 
The gallery is located at 8 Mehmandust St., off Shahid Beheshti Ave.
 
 
Sculpture
 
* The Khak Gallery will play host to an exhibition of sculptures by Hamed Rashtian from May 2 to 19.
 
The gallery is located at 1 Jila St. off Basiri St, Qolhak crossing.
 
* Sculptures by Tahereh Khoshneshin will go on display in an exhibition at the Mojdeh Gallery from May 2 to 8.
 
The gallery can be found at 27, North 18th St., off Allameh Shomali Blvd., in the Saadat Abad neighborhood.
 
 
Ornament
 
* Ornaments created by Toktam Fazel and Bahram 
Dashtinejad will go on display in an exhibition at the Golestan Gallery from May 2 to 7.
 
The gallery can be found at 42 Kamasaii St. in the Darus neighborhood.
 
 
Illustration
 
* The Vista Gallery will showcase illustrations by Ali Ammekan and Hassan Ammekan in an exhibition, which will open on May 2.
 
The gallery is located on 12th Alley, off Mir Emad Ave.
 
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Czech Republic, Iranian foundation discuss holding bilateral cultural programs

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Holding bilateral cultural programs was discussed during a Tuesday meeting in Tehran between Czech Chargé d’Affaires Petr Stepanek and Niavaran Artistic Creation Foundation Director Seyyed Abbas Sajjadi.
 
“We are quite familiar with the rich art and culture of Iran and I hope bilateral cultural programs will be organized by Iran and the Czech Republic,” Stepanek said in the meeting, which was held at the foundation.
 
“The Czech people are also familiar with Iranian cinema and we are prepared to organize Iranian film festivals in our country,” he added.
 
He also said that his colleagues are ready to organize festivals of Czech artists in Iran in a significant step to strengthen cultural ties between Iran and his country.
 
A solo concert by Czech violinist, which will be performed at the foundation’s Niavaran Cultural Center in summer, will be the starting point for the mutual cultural cooperation.
 
“The Niavaran Cultural Center has significant capacity for organizing programs outside of Iran,” Sajjadi said.
 
“Thus, the center has established relations with foreign embassies and cultural organizations and institutes to create opportunities to organize meaningful cultural programs,” he added.
 
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Biographies of 1200 Iranian luminaries published in bilingual book

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TEHRAN – A book containing the biographies of 1200 Iranian luminaries from ancient times to the modern era has been published in Persian and English in two volumes.
 
Entitled “Persian Nobles”, the book has been compiled by Ahmad Lorestani, publisher Asr-e Guyesh announced in a press release on Wednesday.
 
Luminaries in culture, art, philosophy, literature, architecture, science, sports and other areas have been introduced in the 1700-page treatise.
 
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Tolstoy’s great-great-grandson impressed by Iran’s commemoration for his ancestor

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TEHRAN -- Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy, the great-great-grandson of the Russian novelist and social critic Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828–1910), has expressed his satisfaction over the weeklong commemoration Tehran’s Book City Institute has organized for his ancestor.
 
“One Week with Tolstoy”, which opened in the Book City Institute on Sunday, has been organized with the help of the Leo Tolstoy Foundation in Moscow and Iran’s Islamic Cultural Relations Organization (ICRO).
 
Speaking at the ceremony on Tuesday, Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy said that thoughts and feelings of the two nations have helped the two countries feel like friends.
 
It is a great honor that Tolstoy’s books and manuscripts are being kept in a safe place in the Tolstoy State Museum, Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy, said, adding that Tolstoy kept thousands of books in his library among which there were some in Persian.
 
He added that the author of “War and Peace” was always seeking happiness in his life. However, he was not able to achieve that happiness.
 
Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy, who is the director of the Yasnaya Polyana Estate Museum and cofounder of the Leo Tolstoy Foundation, remarked that his grave in the woods of Yasnaya Polyana attracts a great number of visitors every year. 
 
In his brief speech, Iranian author Reza Davari Ardekani said that he believes Tolstoy does not talk about death, rather, he talks of love and death, since they are both intimates.
 
“I believe in his book ‘War and Peace’, death is not the end of life, but it’s the culmination of life, and if this were not so, life would not appear to be beautiful,” he added.
 
ICRO Director Abuzar Ebrahimi said in his short speech that he hoped such programs would help reinforce cultural relations between the two countries.
 
Several other Iranian authors shared what they have learned from Tolstoy’s works and life at the meeting.
 
The ceremony continued with the introduction of the book “Walking in Tolstoy’s Shoes” written by Ebrahimi in collaboration with Farzaneh Shafiei.
 
Ebrahimi wrote the book while he was serving as Iran’s cultural attaché in Russia.
 
The book contains the author’s research on Tolstoy and his life, highlighting the last 10 years of Tolstoy’s life and his communications with the Muslims.
 
Several other programs have been arranged for the week including screening “War and Peace”, a movie adaption of Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”, directed by the U.S. filmmaker King Vidor.
 
A lineup of movies and documentaries are also scheduled to be screened during the week-long program which opened on April 27.
 
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Iranian cineastes to attend CIFEJ General Assembly in Beijing

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TEHRAN – A number of Iranian cineastes will be attending the CIFEJ General Assembly running in Beijing, China from May 6 to 10. 
 
CIFEJ (the Centre International du Film pours l'Enfance et la Jeuneusse) Secretary General Mohsen Chiniforushan, CIFEJ Executive Director Elham Shirvani, filmmakers Rasul Sadr-Ameli and Puran Derakhshandeh, and film producers Ali Mo’allem and Fereshteh Taerpur are the Iranian attendees.
 
Two seminars entitled “How to Make Films for Children” and “How to Train Children to Watch Films” have been arranged for the members and the participants, Chiniforushan told the Persian service of ISNA on Friday.
 
Taerpur is scheduled to deliver a speech in one of the seminars, he added.
 
The new president and new members for the board of directors will also be appointed during this meeting, he said.
 
Chiniforushan also remarked that in the last meeting held at CIFEJ headquarters in Tehran, the Iranian members of CIFEJ decided to introduce Mo’allem as the new candidate for the CIFEJ board of directors.
 
China and Poland are also offering two new candidates for the position of CIFEJ president.
 
The CIFEJ headquarters was transferred to Iran’s Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) in 2009, during the years Chiniforushan was serving as the IIDCYA director.
 
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Tar virtuoso Mohammadreza Lotfi dies at 68

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TEHRAN -- Tar and setar virtuoso Mohammadreza Lotfi, who had collaborated with prominent Iranian vocalists Mohammadreza Shajarian and Shahram Nazeri, died of cancer at Tehran’s Pars Hospital on Friday at the age of 68.
 
Born in Gorgan, he moved to Tehran and began learning music from masters like Ali-Akbar Shahnazi and Habollah Salehi at the Academy of Music.
 
The he completed his studies with other maestros like Nurali Borumand, Abdollah Davami and Saeid Hormozi.
 
Lotfi, Shajarian, and Nasser Farhang came together at the Art Celebration in Shiraz in 1976 and their joint performances were warmly received at the event.
 
Shortly afterward, he established the Sheida band along with tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh and a number of other musicians to remake some works by Iranian music luminaries.
 
Composer and santur player Parviz Meshkatian joined the group to set up the Aref Ensemble in 1977. Many analysts believe that the two bands revolutionized Persian music. 
 
They also founded the Chavosh ensemble, which created many memorable works during the 1970s and early 1980s.
 
Lotfi left Iran to live in the United States in 1986, and a few years later all the bands broke up. He performed widely in concerts in countries across Asia, Europe, and North America in this new stage of his life.
 
However, he returned home in late 2006 after 20 years and reopened the Mirza Abdollah Music School and the Ava-ye Sheida Institute recording company.       
 
He also gathered a number of female musicians to found the Women’s Sheida and he struggled to eliminate Iran’s prohibition on solo vocal performances by women. 
 
In addition, he established the Sheida of Restoration band to perform and record his arrangements of traditional Iranian pieces.
 
Lotfi hoped to get a tremendous welcome from friends like Shajarian, Alizadeh and Meshkatian, but his dream never came true.
 
However, his colleagues and several officials offered their condolences over the death of Lotfi. 
 
“The sage of Iranian music left us,” Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Ali Moradkhani said in a message.
 
“He made great efforts to create eternal works in Persian music,” he added.
 
“People of Iran felt grief over the death of their beloved memories and lives,” Hossein Alizadeh said.
 
“He was one of the sources of Iranian music and a link between the old and new generations of music,” vocalist Alireza Qorbani stated.
 
Former president Mahmoud Ahamdinejad also sent a letter of condolence to Lotfi’s family and fans.
 
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Iranian theater troupe to perform “Timeloss” in Frankfurt, Brussels

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TEHRAN -- The Mehr Theater Group, an Iranian troupe led by director/writer Amir-Reza Kuhestani, will perform “Timeloss”, about the passage of time, in Frankfurt and Brussels.
 
Mousonturm, Frankfurt am Main will host the troupe on May 3 and 4. It will leave for Brussels to stage several performances of the play at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts from May 7 to 10.
 
Hassan Majuni and Mahin Sadri are the members of the cast.
 
Kuhestani previously staged “Where Were You on January 8? “Amid the Clouds”, “Quartet” and “Dance on Galsses” at the Belgian festival.
 
The group is also planned to perform the play Theatre de Bastille in Paris November from 24 to 26 and 28 to 30, and at Le Manege in Maubeuge, France on December 10 and 11.
 
“Timeloss” went on stage at the Festival Les Vagamondes in the eastern French city of Mulhouse this year on January 15 and 16.
 
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“One Hundred Years of Solitude” inspires Iranian writer’s war novel

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TEHRAN -- An Iranian writer has drawn inspiration from Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” to write his novel “Ninety-Nine Years of Solitude”, whose story is set in Khorramshahr in 1980 when the southwestern Iranian city was captured by Iraqi forces.
 
“My interest in Marquez dates back to the years between 1985 and 1987 when I was working at a telecommunications installation,” Mohammad Bodaqi told the Persian service of IRNA on Friday.
 
“I read his ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ for the first time at the base and loaned it to other soldiers to read,” he added.
 
“The central character of the novel is a teenage schoolboy who borrows ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ from his teacher. Meanwhile, Iraq begins its war against Iran and occupies Khorramshahr. The student joins the volunteer forces to defend his hometown. In addition, he tries to preserve the book in order to give it back to his teacher,” Bodaqi stated.
 
He said that he has done his best to make a connection between “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and the events of the novel.
 
“I included some parts of Marquez’s masterpiece in my novel in order to add to its attraction and also to acknowledge my debt to this great writer of the world,” he added.
 
Bodaqi said that he had completed two chapters of his novel when he received news of Marquez’s death. 
 
“Hope as a world motto and ideal can be read between the lines in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’,” he stated and added that he has followed the same style in his novel.
 
Bodaqi is the author of “The Veteran”, “I’m from Kashan”, “The Forgotten Battle” and several other works, all of which are about the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. 
 
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UNESCO experts to study Iran’s proposal to establish Ferdowsi awards

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TEHRAN -- UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has agreed to assign a team of experts to study Iran’s proposal for the organization to establish an international literary awards under the name of the Persian poet Ferdowsi.
 
The agreement was made during the recent visit Bokova made to Iran, National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) Director Reza Salehi-Amiri told the Persian service of MNA on Saturday.
 
The proposal was made by the NLAI in 2009. However, UNESCO refused to approve it due to a claim by another country. 
 
In case of approval, the awards will be presented to several world Iranologists who have authored great literary works on Persian culture and literature.
 
Irina Bokova arrived in Tehran on April 28. She met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and opened an exhibition of a collection of historical maps in Tehran.
 
She also visited a number of Iranian historical sites registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in several Iranian provinces of Kerman, Isfahan and Fars.
 
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Swiss author Franz Hohler promotes Persian translation of his book at TIBF

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TEHRAN -- Swiss author Franz Hohler promoted a Persian version of his book “Cake and Other Stories” during a ceremony at the 27th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) on Thursday. 
 
The Persian version has been published by Iranban Publications under the title of “Surprise in Paris”. 
 
Translator Elham Moqaddas also attended the ceremony, which was organized by the publisher.
 
Franz Hohler is the author of a one-man show and satirical programs for television and radio. He has written theatrical plays, children’s books, stories and novels. In 2002 he received the Kassel Literary Prize for Grotesque Humor.
 
One of his most famous works is the “Totemügerli”, a Swiss-German story based upon a fantasy creature. His collection of witty short stories Der Stein (2011) features border-crossing between the realistic and the fantastic. It is humorous and thought-provoking.
 
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German graphic designer Fons Hickmann holds workshop in Tehran

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TEHRAN – The renowned German graphic designer Fons Hickmann held a workshop on the art of typography at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday.
 
A number of Iranian graphic students attended the workshop, which was organized by the Iranian Graphic Designers Society (IGDS).
 
In address at the workshop, Hickmann said that he has been working in Berlin and Vienna over the past decade and before.
 
He added that he studied graphic arts, photography and philosophy during the years. Due to the education he received, the tone of his works is unconventional. He is called ‘philosopher graphic designer’ or ‘graphic designer philosopher’.
 
Hickmann was invited by IGDS to attend the Tehran Graphic Design Week, which was organized on April 27 to celebrate World Graphic Design Day.
 
A selection of his posters was put on display at the Iranian Artists Forum during the program.
 
Fons Matthias Hickmann, 48, is a German graphic designer and professor of communication design at the Berlin University of the Arts.
 
Hickmann studied photography and communication design combined with philosophy in Düsseldorf, and aesthetics and media theory in Wuppertal. 
 
He is the director the studio Fons Hickmann m23, which he and his colleague Gesine Grotrian-Steinweg founded in Berlin in 2001. The focus of the studio is on the development of complex communication systems and corporate design as well as book, poster, magazine and web design.
 
The studio has received numerous international awards, and its works have been represented at every international design biennial.
 
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Catherine Ashton to appear in Persian apparel

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TEHRAN – Iranian costume designer Mitra Tamjidi has recently made a set of clothes for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
 
Ashton has said that she likes the clothing and will be wearing it in one of her diplomatic meetings, Tamjidi told the Persian service of ISNA on Saturday.
 
“I picked the designs and motifs used on the costumes worn by Iranian peoples in older times, and combined them with modern motifs and designs of today,” she explained.
 
Tamjidi said that Ashton’s secretary has also asked her for a set of clothes for herself.
 
Tamjidi has so far designed costumes for several official figures and TV presenters over the past years.
 
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Vancouver to get a glimpse of Iran photos

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TEHRAN – Iranian photographer Shabnam Tolu will be displaying a selection of her works on Iran in an exhibition, which will open July 1at the Caroun Art Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.
 
About 30 black and white photos depicting the capital Tehran, Iranian children, and several villages across the country will go on display at the exhibit, which will be running until July 6, the gallery has announced on its website.
 
Tolu has studied industrial design at Al-Zahra University, but her interest in photography has led her toward social photography.
 
She has also been painting for several years and has held several exhibits so far.
 
Tolu was selected as first prize winner in 2013 at the annual photography competition organized by the Caroun Photo Club.
 
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Tehran to host Parvin Etesami Film Festival after one-year hiatus

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TEHRAN – The Parvin Etesami Film Festival will be held from September 13 to 19 in Tehran after a one-year hiatus.
 
The Iranian Artists Forum will host this festival, which highlights films on women’s issues, the secretary of the festival Maziar Rezakhani explained during a press conference on Sunday morning.
 
The organizers of the festival plan to select a woman filmmaker as the best Iranian female director of the past two years.
 
Rezakhani said that they will likely be adding an international section to the festival’s program.
 
The Farabi Cinema Foundation will be the organizer of the international section if the plan is implemented.  
 
The entries will compete in short film and feature film sections, the executive director of the festival, Farnaz Qeisaripur, said during the conference.
 
The Iranian NGO, Home for Protecting Iranian Female Artists, and the Iran Cinema Organization are the main organizers of the festival, which was named after Parvin Etesami (1907-1940) to commemorate the Iranian poetess.
 
Parvin Etesami was born in Tabriz and composed her first poem in the classical style when she was only eight years old. She received her high school diploma from the American Girls’ School of Tehran and also taught at the school for two years. 
 
Her poems focus on themes of social awareness and the human aspect of life with simple yet insightful allegorical elements. There are no signs of romanticism or feminism in her works, although she lived in the period when Iran was beginning to modernize.
 
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Illustrations by German artists on display at Tehran gallery

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TEHRAN – A collection of works by German illustrators is currently on display in an exhibition at Tehran’s Laleh Gallery.
 
Entitled “Erdbeerland” (Strawberryland), the exhibit is a follow-up to an exhibition some Iranian illustrators held under the name “Anarestan” (Pomegranateland) at the International Youth Library of Munich in September 2013, the director of the gallery, Mohammad-Hossein Sa’labifard told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday.
 
Over 80 works by 16 German illustrators selected by Tom Eigenhufe are being shown in the exhibit, which opened on Friday, he said, adding that the exhibit has been warmly received by Iranian and foreign visitors.
 
The exhibition will also be held in Isfahan, Mashhad, Gorgan and several other Iranian cities.
 
Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, the cultural department of the Embassy of Iran in Germany, and the Children’s Book Council of Iran, the exhibit will next open in the Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Art.
 
Johanna Benz, Klaus Ensikat, Katrin Stangl, Jonas Laustroer, Wolf Erlbruch, Eva Muggenthaler and Tom Eigenhufe are some of the illustrators whose works are on show at the exhibit.
 
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Franz Hohler honored at Tehran meeting

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TEHRAN -- The Persian literary monthly Bokhara paid tribute to Swiss author Franz Hohler during a ceremony in Tehran at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Saturday evening.
 
Hohler, who has been invited to the 27th Tehran International Book Fair, also attend the ceremony.
 
The managing director of the Bokhara magazine Ali Dehbashi delivered a short speech on Hohler and his works at the ceremony.
 
Afterward, Hohler talked about his career as an author and poet.
 
He also read some of his short satirical short stories, which were previously translated into Persian by Ali Abdollahi. 
 
Hohler is the author of a one-man show and satirical programs for television and radio. He has written theatrical plays, children’s books, stories and novels. In 2002 he received the Kassel Literary Prize for Grotesque Humor.
 
One of his most famous works is the “Totemügerli”, a Swiss-German story based upon a fantasy creature. His collection of witty short stories Der Stein (2011) features border-crossing between the realistic and the fantastic. It is humorous and thought-provoking.
 
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