TEHRAN- Iranian artist Abdolhamid Qadirian’s art exhibition was inaugurated at the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization in Tehran on Monday, depicting Quranic narrative of the destruction of the Zionist Regime. 

The opening ceremony of the exhibition titled “Light Has Come” was attended by prominent cultural and artistic figures, including Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi, Head of the Islamic Development Organization, Mohammad-Mehdi Dadman, the director of the Art Bureau, and several other leading artists and managers from the visual arts sector, Mehr reported. 

The exhibition features 30 oil paintings that portray the destruction of the Zionist regime through Quranic themes, the report added. 

Qadirian aims to offer a fresh perspective on the relationship between thought, art, and future governance, emphasizing an honest and faithful approach to these complex issues. 

During the opening, Qadirian expressed his appreciation for the attendees and clarified the collective nature of the project. 

“This is a group effort, and I merely executed it. My goal was to convey certain concepts through these works, and I have done my best so far. I look forward to scholars discussing these works and introducing new ideas that can lead to further development of this project,” he stated.

The artist elaborated on the philosophical foundation of the exhibition, saying, “This collection is the product of nearly forty years of research and gathering evidence that led me to believe that God gradually manifests His light on earth. However, we often overlook this truth.”

“For example, Arbaeen was created as a luminous event, yet we confined it to a march. In the case of Gaza, divine light protected the people, but we perceived it differently. Even during the awakening of Europeans and Americans to injustice, the role of divine light was ignored,” he explained. 

“This exhibition is not as a conventional art show but as a spiritual and epistemological event,” he said and added: “We named it ‘Naql’ (Narrative) to distinguish it from typical exhibitions. Our aim is to foster thought and promote understanding. Committed art must enter this space, and this gathering serves that purpose.”

The exhibition’s official statement highlights its conceptual framework: “Naql; the connection between the world and the artist unfolds through four journeys of meaning. In an era where signs of the emergence appear in civilization’s hidden layers, the second phase of the revolution requires a new language to articulate truth. From this necessity, we created ‘Naql’—a novel approach to visual arts that goes beyond mere display to become a narration of truth.”

It further describes the nature of the work: “‘Naql’ combines image, sound, space, and explanation; a narrative that shifts the viewer from mere spectatorship to active participation in meaning. The shift occurs not in physical location but in stance— from appearance to essence, from feeling to understanding. The narrative has two voices: ‘the world’ and ‘the artist,’ who meet in four journeys. The world guides the artist to the source of meaning; the artist creates that meaning in imagination and image. The artwork manifests in the material realm, and through interpretation, elevates the viewer from seeing to becoming.”

The statement emphasizes that "Naql" is more than an exhibition; it is a spiritual event—a bridge between art and truth, between humanity and divine light.

The “Light Has Come” exhibition will be open until January 5, 2026, from Saturday to Wednesday, at the Habibollah Sadeqi Gallery of the Art Bureau.

SAB/