The ceremony was attended by Mohammad Qomi, the head of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, Mohammad-Mehdi Dadman, the director of the Art Bureau, and Rouhollah Dehqani Firouzabadi, the Vice President for Science and Technology, along with several cultural figures and artists.

In his address, Qomi emphasized the enduring characteristics of the people and nation, who have continuously preserved their cultural principles while embracing innovation and creativity.

He noted that the ability to safeguard and innovate cultural principles is a testament to the richness of their culture. He highlighted the importance of creating platforms that can deliver remarkable cultural events, with a special focus on children and teenagers.

“Remaining faithful to cultural principles does not hinder innovation and creativity but rather nurtures and benefits them,” he noted.

Qomi also emphasized the significance of demonstrating creativity in relation to the situation of children in Gaza. He stated that if a complex fails to exhibit such creativity, it has not fulfilled its responsibilities adequately. He expressed hope that the innovative approaches implemented by such complexes would make a meaningful impact.

“By remaining faithful to the authentic pillars of cultural innovation, these complexes have the potential to alleviate economic challenges and have a more profound cultural influence,” he concluded.

In his speech, Seyyed Amir Hossein Chavoshi, the CEO of the complex, emphasized the vision of Karestan Baharstan, stating that their goal is to ensure that artists have no concerns other than producing their creative work.

He highlighted that Karestan Baharstan is not just an accelerator or innovation factory, but rather it offers a range of facilities and infrastructures, including a filming studio, live broadcast capabilities, a black box, and chroma-key technology.

Chavoshi further elaborated on the structure and content of the complex, explaining that they have different divisions dedicated to visual and auditory arts as well as general culture and the arts. He emphasized that in the first year, their priority is to focus on the domain of children and teens.

For his part, Dadman emphasized the bureau’s mission, stating, “At the Art Bureau, our mission is to establish a platform that fosters networking, formation, and growth of cultural and artistic teams. We believe that these teams embody a collective identity capable of addressing the actual challenges faced in the realm of culture and art, without being reliant solely on media, institutions, and existing structures.”

However, it is important to clarify that this does not imply opposition to structures, but rather an aspiration for an independent cultural identity and a dedication to sparking a movement within the public sphere of society, he added.

Dadman underscored the importance of the complex, stating, “It is crucial for this establishment to embrace its responsibility in the construction and advancement of the cultural and artistic ecosystem. Our aim is to provide a nurturing environment for the development and acceptance of cultural and artistic teams, aligning with our vision of propelling the transformational agenda within the artistic realm.”

Furthermore, he added, “We firmly believe that the cultural consumption ecosystem in our country is not yet fully realized. Cultural consumption, which must be considered alongside production, plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of Iran, yet it has not formed a complete and cyclical system.”

Dadman expressed the need for the complex to address its limitations, stating, “In order to overcome these shortcomings, it is crucial for this establishment to serve as a networking platform for teams, facilitating a seamless cycle of production and consumption, and fostering connections among individuals active in this sphere.”

Moreover, Dadman highlighted the significance of focusing on children and teenagers as the primary audience for cultural activists in the country.

He emphasized that the younger generation is subjected to relentless attacks within intellectual, cultural, media, and lifestyle realms, without adequate efforts being made to cater to their specific needs.

He further emphasized, “We have made it our priority to prioritize children and teenagers, emphasizing both quantity and quality in the production chain, spanning from books to movies, animations, and TV series. Additionally, alongside the direct emphasis on producing artistic products, it is essential to establish a network of young individuals associated with the artistic domain, providing them with opportunities for talent discovery and enabling them to become agents of transformative change.”

Karestan Baharestan, situated in Tehran’s Baharestan neighborhood, stands as the country’s largest innovation complex dedicated to the cultural industries. Spanning an impressive area of approximately 4,800 square meters, it boasts a combination of shared and dedicated workspaces capable of accommodating over 400 individuals simultaneously.

The complex offers an extensive range of cutting-edge facilities and capabilities. These include a spacious studio for programming and live broadcasting, a versatile black box, and a chroma-key studio. Additionally, it houses a sound studio for audio production, a music and sound recording studio, a design and construction workshop, a cinema and film screening hall, workstations and rooms, a gallery and exhibition space, as well as an area dedicated to hosting events.

Karestan Baharestan is fully equipped and prepared to welcome creative and innovative teams working in the cultural industries, particularly those focused on children and youth

The post Iran’s largest cultural, art innovation complex inaugurated appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Part 1

Iran has a long tradition of translating works from various languages into Persian (Farsi). This practice has been instrumental in bridging cultural gaps.

Tehran Times has interviewed three renowned translators who have made significant contributions to the translation industry in the country by rendering great works of literature, art and other subjects to Persian.

Lili Golestan, Reza Alizadeh, and Mahmoud Goudarzi are the well-known translators of different generations who have replied to five questions regarding translation. Their collective insights shed light on the challenges, successes, and evolving dynamics of translation in Iran.

First, they were asked about the characteristics of a good translation.

Answering the question, Golestan said that a translator must be proficient in both languages, especially in Persian. “They should have a good understanding of ancient texts and old poems. The most important thing for me is preserving the author’s style. You cannot, for example, translate (Albert) Camus into (Leo) Tolstoy’s style or shorten long sentences of (Marcel) Proust. If the style is not preserved, you’ve actually betrayed the trust of the reader,” she added.

“A translator must read the book they want to translate carefully several times to become familiar with its nuances. Word choice is also crucial for me. The author, their style, the era in which they lived, and the setting in which the story takes place should all be important considerations in selecting words,” she stressed.

Golestan, 79, studied dress and textile design at the Decorative Art Institute of Paris and the same time attended classes on world art history and French literature at La Sorbonne.

Lili Golestan 

“Nothing, and So Be It” by Oriana Fallaci was her first translation, which was published in 1967. The book was received well and encouraged her to translate more novels. She has since translated more than 30 books including “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” and “The Fragrance of Guava,” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Six Memos for the Next Millennium,” and “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler,” by Italo Calvino, “Remarks on Color,” by Ludwig Wittgenstein, “Story Number 3,” by Eugène Ionesco, “Life with Picasso,” by Françoise Gilot, and “Tistou of the Green Thumbs,” by Maurice Druon.

In response to the same question, Alizadeh said that his opinion about the qualities of a good translation had changed over time. “I used to think that fidelity to the original text should be very mechanical, for example, a word-for-word translation, or at most a sentence-for-sentence one was the best. But gradually, I realized that it was not really so and there were excellent translations that didn’t fit into this framework,” he noted.

“What used to be considered a correct translation was when you translated a sentence literally and then added a note saying, ‘Dear reader, if you didn’t get what it meant, that’s because this sentence in English is an idiomatic expression similar to a proverb in Persian’ and then included the Persian equivalent. But now it seems to me that the translator must have some flexibility, and you can’t be so strict,” Alizadeh explained.

“In the past, one of the criteria for translation was to evoke the same emotions in the reader of the target language as the original text did in the reader of the source language. But this is really hard to measure, and it seems to me that a translator succeeds in their work only if the reader of the target language enjoys reading the translated text. For example, Houshang Pirnazar’s translation of ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ (by Mark Twain) had this quality and conveyed a good feeling,” he elaborated.

Alizadeh, 59, is another accomplished Iranian translator known for his contributions to the world of literature and translation.

Reza Alizadeh

His first work of translation was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark,” which was published in 1991. Since then, he has translated over 30 books.

Basically, he is famous for rendering works of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of high fantasy works such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” into Persian.

He has also brought the works of Umberto Eco to Iranian readers, demonstrating his versatility in translating diverse literary styles.

Alizadeh’s translations have played a crucial role in introducing international literature to Persian-speaking audiences, contributing to cultural enrichment.

Goudarzi, for his part, said that a good translation should convey not only the meaning but also the style, the register of the language, and in a word, the soul of the text.

“When reading a translated book, readers should not notice the translator’s work. The quality of the translation should be such that they have the feeling of reading the author’s original text,” he stated.

Goudarzi, 46, is a graduate of French language and literature. He started his career as a translator in 2006 by translating short stories by Emile Zola for magazines and has since published about 60 books.

Mahmoud Goudarzi

His works include translation of various authors such as Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Jack London’s “Scarlet Plague,” “Guy de Maupassant’s “Our Heart,” Voltaire’s “Candide,” Henry James’ “Daisy Miller,” and Alexandre Dumas’ “Gabriel Lambert”.

While the new generation of translators may not have the same level of experience as veterans, they can excel by being attuned to contemporary language use and cultural shifts

New generation of translators
The next two questions asked respondents about the translation situation in Iran and the position of the new generation of translators compared to experienced and veteran translators.

“We now have very good young educated translators with a proper understanding of Persian,” Golestan said. “I believe that if a book is published with a bad translation, the publisher is at fault for not recognizing the poor quality of the translation. The translator bears less blame”.

Recalling what had happened to her in this regard, she said, “A young girl called and said she had heard that I had many important books in French. ‘Can I take one of your books and translate it?’ she asked. I then asked her where she learned French. ‘I just signed up for a language course last week,’ she replied! So even if a translation is of poor quality, publishers should not accept it”.

Regarding the different generations of translators, she said: “Comparing today’s translators to the past, we should not expect to have many great figures like Mohammad Ghazi, Abdullah Tavakkol, or Reza Seyed-Hosseini, but we do have very good translators with excellent taste in book selection”.

Alizadeh believes that translation in Iran has had its ups and downs, but overall, it can be said that it has progressed over, becoming more precise, and with better equivalences established.

“However, one issue is the lack of a cohesive and continuous system of translation criticism. Having such a system could further enhance the quality of translations. If there were a structured critique of translations, the new generation could also benefit from it in terms of their own progress and development,” he said.

On the status of the new generation of translators, Alizadeh believes that they are generally good. “If there is a problem, it is with their detailed knowledge of Persian language,” he stated.

Goudarzi hopes that there will be always a few who will keep the fire burning. “It survives but I’m not sure if it progresses or prospers. I guess we are publishing fewer literary works nowadays, and self-help books, thrillers, and such have occupied more space in the publishing business. Therefore, if we want to assess the quality, we must take those few literary works into consideration,” he noted.

“As for the financial situation, it has seen better days. The urge to make money or more of it, makes publishing houses interested in what the majority wants. So, the literary quality is not a priority anymore,” Goudarzi rued.

Speaking about the young translators, he said: “I don’t know all the new translators. But as far as I know, they are better equipped, and thanks to technology they have better access to references. However, they are not as well-read or meticulous as the older generation of translators, and their knowledge of Farsi language is not adequate”.

Considering what the three well-known translators said, it can be concluded that the new generation of translators often bring fresh perspectives and linguistic skills to the field. While they may not have the same level of experience as veterans, they can excel by being attuned to contemporary language use and cultural shifts.

The post Bridging cultures: the art and impact of translation in Iran appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Addressing the ceremony, the first Secretary of Italian Embassy David Balloni briefed the participants in the ceremony of the background and reasons behind the exhibition. He pointed to the historic cooperation between Iranians and Italians especially in art works and architecture. He said that Italians every year and via their embassies worldwide hold exhibitions which reflects Italian way of life.

Then Italian Ambassador to Tehran Giuseppe Perrone expressed his gratitude to those artists and architects whose work are on display in the exhibition. He noted that Tehran is an art and cultural city but it misses the art of interior design and therefore the embassy decided to launch this exhibit focused on interior design in collaboration with famous Italian magazine Domus which is an architecture and design magazine founded in 1928 by architect Gio Ponti.

Perrone went on to say that the exhibit is held in two sections as the first part includes works of Iranian and Italian designers whose works have been introduced by Domus magazine. He added that the second section of the exhibit is focused on the works of Ponti’s works especially his masterpiece in Tehran and in Villa Namazi which is one of the most beautiful gardens in north Tehran. Some of interior designs of Villa Namazi garden have been put on display in the exhibit, he added.

He then expressed hope that different events on interior and industrial designing would be held in upcoming weeks. He thanked architects and designers in the exhibit for this event on interior design.

Then Balloni briefed the participants of the history of the Milan-based Domus Magazine which is one of the most famous design and architecture fields, adding that this magazine has covered many stories on Iranian architecture and even allocated a special issue on Iranian architecture focusing on Villa Namazi Garden which has been designed by famous Italian architect Ponti.

He noted that Editor of Domus Magazine Mr. Walter Mariotti last month was in Tehran to attend the preview of the exhibit.

Later one of the Iranian architect Mr. Kamran Naderi highlighted major developments in the cooperation between the architects and designers of Italy and Iran which has broadened through the years. Naderi has cooperated with Italian Embassy on this exhibit and on making  video-series of 10 episodes “Domus Eyes on Iran” that its last episode was on Villa Namazi Garden and Ponti’s masterpiece in Tehran.

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The life and artwork of Akbar Mikhak, a multifaceted Iranian artist who has lived and worked in Rome where he undertook a personal artistic journey from realism to abstract art, is featured in the new episode of the Italian Embassy’s video-series “From Tehran to Rome. A Journey through Art”, screened yesterday at the residence of the Italian Ambassador in Tehran, Giuseppe Perrone.

In intervening at the ceremony, the artist himself explained to the audience made up of art critics, gallery directors, art collectors and diplomats. How deep and meaningful his artistic, intellectual and human experience in Italy was.

Akbar Mikhak has lived in Italy for 24 years, studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, and perfecting his training in areas such as set design and industrial design.

In Rome he also opened a successful art gallery (Galleria Altri Temi) and a cultural center (Centro Culturale Aquario). He finally returned to Iran, to his hometown Isfahan, in 1996.

In addition to the screening of the documentary, the gardens of the Italian Residence hosted an exhibit of some of the most representative artworks of three of Mikhak’s signature collections.

From the first collection, entitled “Vague”, 20 postcards were exhibited, laid out on a large panel to outline the various stages of an ideal journey from Rome to Isfahan and back. From the second one, “Living Soul”, 6 stylized photographs of reflections of Venice in the water were also introduced to the public. From the last collection, by the name “Playing with the Letters of the Alphabet”, 4 paintings of abstract calligraphy were exhibited, featuring a reinterpretation and combination of signs and letters of the Persian and Latin alphabets.

The documentary “Akbar Mikhak. From Realism to Abstraction “, as well as the previous four episodes of the series “From Tehran to Rome. A Journey through Art”, are available for viewing on the Embassy’s social media platform (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter).

The post Embassy of Italy Exhibits Mikhak’s Art Collections appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyed Abbas Salehi sat down with the Thai ambassador to Tehran where the two sides called for the enhancement of mutual cooperation.

“Iran and Thailand have, since long ago, enjoyed good and extensive relations, and I hope these relations will further grow,” said the Iranian minister.

“Both countries are of significance in terms of tourism potential, historical and civilizational heritage, and their status in the region,” said the minister.

“Iran and Thailand have age-old relations,” he added.

He said he is going to have a virtual meeting with the Thai culture minister next week where the two sides will hopefully discuss ways of dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the culture sector.

The post Tehran, Bangkok to Work Together to Tackle COVID-19 Impact on Culture, Art appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The art of silver beating (toreutics) is one of the traditional Iranian metalwork handicrafts which dates back to several thousand years ago to the era of the Scythians who were of Aryan origin.

No evidence has been found yet on the origins of silver beating. However, many silverware artworks with more than 3,000 years of age have been discovered so far including the gold Marlik Cup and Hassanlou Cup.

Silver beaters create original and beautiful works using a hammer and burin to engrave copper, gold, silver, and brass.

If the engraved form is created on cold metal the art is called “davatgari” which was common in the Achaemenid era and reached its climax in the Sassanid era.

Silver beating is a noisy art.

The artists begin their work by drawing a pattern on an object and then hammering the burin to engrave the pattern on the surface of the object.

There are three different styles, e.g. the Shiraz Style which uses the images of Persepolis, flowers and birds on silver objects.

The Tabriz Style is one in which the artist creates the engraved images on a metal using a burin which is held upright by the artist who moves it gently from the wrist so that it only creates shallow images on the metal. The third style is the Isfahan Style where the artist uses a hammer and consequently creates deeper images on the metal.

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A collection of photos taken by Mahmud Abdolhossein covering the ceremonies organized last year to commemorate Imam Khomeini will be on view at the exhibition.

The exhibit will also put on display a collection of posters selected by Ali Vazirian from the works previously showcased during the 15th Asma-ul-Husna Annual Poster Exhibition at the Iranian Artists Forum.

Asma-ul-Husna displays typographical works featuring the names of Allah.

Paintings by veteran artists, including Iraj Eskandari, Habibollah Sadeqi, Ahmad Khalilifard, Kazem Chalipa and Faramarz Pilaram, will also be showcased at the two-day exhibit.

The post Art exhibit to commemorate death anniversary of Imam Khomeini appeared first on Iran News Daily.

114 works by 105 artists will go under the hammer at the 10th Tehran Auction on 11 January 2019, among which is an untitled work by the late Iranian legend Abbas Kiarostami.

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Paintings by top Egyptian artists have shared wall space with hieroglyphs and Pharaonic relics at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum this week in an exhibition highlighting ancient influences on contemporary art. Artists, intellectuals and ambassadors from around the world attended the Saturday opening of ‘A Night With Art at the Egyptian Museum’, organized by the private Art D’Egypte organization. The modern paintings include abstract portraits and other works by prominent contemporary Egyptian artists including Adel El Siwi, Mohamed Abla, Ghada Amer, Farouk Hosny and Hoda Lotfi, Artdaily.com wrote. “This initiative shows that artistic creativity spans millennia reaching today,” said Abla, who showed five paintings at the exhibition, reflecting ancient Egyptian influences. “Contemporary art is an extension of art by the Pharaonic ancestors,” he said. The show also includes interactive seminars on ancient Egyptian art and its influences on contemporary artists. Several prominent archaeologists and Egyptologists are to speak, including former minister of state for  antiquities affairs, Zahi Hawass. Current Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said it was important to preserve Egyptian heritage “because the antiquities belong to the entire world.” The ageing Egyptian museum, which is undergoing renovation, was a key tourist attraction before the January 2011 uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak. Visitors would wait in long lines outside the museum entrance, while the halls inside brimmed with foreign tourists and Egyptian visitors, including students on school trips. But Mubarak’s ouster unleashed years of political turmoil and sent tourist numbers plummeting. During the uprising, which was centered in Tahrir Square just outside the museum, looters broke into the building, stealing and damaging several ancient treasures.

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