TEHRAN -- A short while ago, at the 6th Iranian Contemporary Drawing Exhibition in Barg Gallery, gazing at the works of young artists helped me to forget the harsh reality of life for a short period of time. The exhibition was held in a layer of deep thought and imagination.

Manager of the gallery's Public Relations Office -- also a participant - said that this year's exhibition was received extremely well. The secretariat managed to receive more than 500 artworks and selected the top 120 for display.

Roxana Mahmoudi is convinced that as a well-matured establishment, the exhibition has been able to attract the attention of artists each and every year. She said that, as a result, attention to the young artists has been put on top of the agenda. Mahmoudi said that reception has been sufficing, adding, "Within the past 14 days, there has been over 200 visitors on a daily basis, most of them as university and art students." On the credentials of the exhibition for the past 6 years she said, "The event has become a genuine motivation for the artists to keep in mind that there is always a place that is more than happy to exhibit their works."

She said that during recent years universities and art colleges have been fortunate because general knowledge on art has increased. She is convinced that such transition can affect the state of the art in the society fundamentally.

Coinciding with the 10th inaugurating anniversary of Barg Gallery, today the organizers will select top artists in a splendid ceremony.

Selected artists are: Kaveh Kavoussian, Soheila Afshar, Siavash Mahvis, Linda Jalali, Babak Khodabandeh, Mahboubeh Tahernia, Roxana Mahmoudi, Elham Nafissifar, Mohammad Gol-Boustani and Mohammad Rahimi.

The winners have been selected by the jury members Hossein Khosrojerdi, Ya'qoub Emdadian and Manouchehr Mo'tabar. Mahmoudi said that this is the first time that top works have been selected for awards, adding, "A plaque of honor and some raw materials have been considered to be given as prizes. The artists pay no attention towards the materialistic side of this cultural event. They are more than happy to just receive an appreciation for their works." She concluded, "Six years ago when the exhibition was opened for the first time, no one thought it could last long. Yet because of the overwhelming reception, it has been held with much more splendor, comfort and success each and every year."