TEHRAN – Works by nine Iranian illustrators have been selected among the finalists of the 53rd Belgrade Golden Pen Competition - 18th International Biennial of Illustration.

The Iranian works are among the 83 selected by the jury of the event, which will be exhibited in early November in Belgrade, Serbia, IRNA reported.

Raha Amini, Salimeh Babakhan, Najla Mahdavi, Maryam Mahmoudi Moghadam, Hajar Moradi, Mahshid Raghemy, Shideh Sekhavati, Ghazal Fatollahi, and Maral Forouzesh are the Iranian illustrators whose works have been recognized at the competition.

“Zal and Simurgh” by Raha Amini will be part of this year’s exhibition, as well as “Dreams, Whether Far or Near” and “Yalda Orange,” which are children's books written by Hadi Mohammadi and illustrated by Salimeh Babakhan.

Najla Mahdavi’s illustrations for the children’s book “The Sun in the Turkmen Sahra” written by Yousef Qoujaq, Maryam Mahmoudi Moghadam’s book “Everything is Great in Our Farm,” which she wrote and illustrated, and Hajar Moradi’s “Land of Dragon”, which she wrote and illustrated, will also be shown at the exhibition.

“TikTak” written and illustrated by Mahshid Raghemi, “An Ordinary Day at the Café” written by Payam Ebrahimi and illustrated by Shideh Sekhavati, “Mahour” written by Shahrzad Shahrjerdy and illustrated by Ghazal Fatollahi, and “A Girl Named Mari” written by Mazdak Forouzesh and illustrated by Maral Forouzesh are the other Iranian finalists at the event.

The Belgrade Golden Pen Competition is one of the oldest and most important illustration events in the world, and the finalists will have the chance to receive the main Golden Pen awards in the final judging.

Back in 1959, illustrators were not recognized in the art world in the way they are today. It took a lot of effort and dedication for illustrators to be valued equally as painters or sculptors. 

The first European illustration exhibition that continues to this day - the Golden Pen of Belgrade - was founded with a clear intention: to provide illustrators with equal status with fine artists and to affirm their role in society, and subsequently, in the history of art.

Today, social media and personal websites are the best form of presentation, which raises the question: are exhibitions still necessary for artists?

Exhibitions today represent necessary physical places where like-minded people gather, and in the case of cultural content, an opportunity for the visitor to experience a work of art in a physical space! Also, exhibitions are a reflection and continuity of the duration of cultural events during which respect is paid to those who once invested immeasurable effort to ensure that illustration is recognized as an art, and not just a craft!

The Golden Pen of Belgrade still exists today, but with great effort, without financial resources, and thanks to the dedication of enthusiastic individuals.

Photo: Illustrations by Ghazal Fatollahi for the book “Mahour”

SS/SAB