TEHRAN – The 8th edition of the Tehran National Sculpture Biennial was inaugurated at the Vahadat Hall and the Rudaki Open-Air Theater on Monday.

The biennial is organized by the Association of Iranian Sculptors and the Visual Arts Office of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini said that the Visual Arts Office is determined to hold two to four events every year, and this year, despite the pandemic, the programs are being held one after the other. 

“Holding these artistic events shows that art is still active and alive, while they also help the youth to keep more in contact with the veterans and the masters, which is a praiseworthy action,” he added.

He further noted that the biennial has some good points to mention such as paying due attention to elements of the culture and identity of the country.

Visual Arts Office director Hadi Mozaffari also present at the ceremony said that the pandemic and several other factors caused the transfer of the biennial from the Book Garden in the Abbasabad district in late February to the Vahdat Hall in December.

“However, we did our best to hold the festival in collaboration with the sculptors and the Association of Iranian Sculptors,” he said.

There have been some changes in this year’s edition, he said, adding, “The biennial is not a competitive event this year because there was a belief that those who attend the biennial have been selected from the best and their artworks will be judged by the public later. 

Also one of the main strategies of the biennial this year is adding a number of curatorial teams to carry out different projects.

Sahar Salkhi, Hasti Gudarzi, Hamed Dehqan and Bijan Gholnchepur are among the collaborating curators.

The biennial will be running until February 9.

Photo: Visitors take photos of a sculpture on view at the 8th edition of the Tehran National Sculpture Biennial at the Rudaki Open-Air Theater on December 14, 2020. (Honaronline/Mohammad Namazi)

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