TEHRAN- The closing ceremony of the “Life in War” event, along with the inauguration of its photo exhibition, was held at the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization in Tehran on Sunday. 

The ceremony was attended by Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Qomi, head of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, Mohammad-Mehdi Dadman, the director of the Art Bureau, alongside several artists, documentary filmmakers, war photographers, and media activists.

“Life in War” event, launched in October by the Iran Photographers House, aimed to document the lived experiences and resilience of the Iranian people during the 12-day imposed war by the United States and Zionist regime. It received widespread attention from artists, media professionals, and the general public across the country.

Speaking at the ceremony, Qomi expressed gratitude to the organizers and underscored the importance of conscious and artistic narration of life amid war. 

“War is an undeniable reality and erasing its narrative and imagery means erasing part of the truth,” he stated. 

He emphasized that sometimes humans face unwelcome realities that nonetheless contain inherent good. “Wherever there is good, it must flow—as life itself flows—and this flow requires precise, responsible, and artistic narration,” he mentioned. 

Addressing challenges faced in documenting life during wartime, Qomi noted that photographers often face restrictions such as denial of access to scenes and confiscation of press cards, with their role as narrators frequently unrecognized. He stressed that imagery is an inseparable part of war’s truth and its removal equates to erasing reality. 

He also praised photographers and organizers for their dedication and expressed hope for continued dialogue on this subject in future sessions.

In another segment of the exhibition opening, Hossein Golyar, executive secretary of the event, emphasized the significance of documenting people’s lived experiences under wartime conditions. 

He also noted that over 3,600 works from 668 professional artists, citizens, narrators, and youth across 23 provinces and 49 cities were received within 45 days. 

He stressed that while some public narratives may be technically simple, their honesty and immediacy provide high documentary value. The combination offers a multi-voiced human portrayal of war in the photo exhibition.

Golyar addressed difficulties faced by photographers and narrators during the 12-day War. “Field insecurity, strict image-capturing limitations, and psychological pressures posed serious challenges,” he added. 

While some restrictions are understandable under security conditions, he advocated balanced solutions to manage security concerns while enabling truthful documentation.

During the ceremony, distinguished participants were honored for their contributions.

In the professional single-photo category, first place went to Seyyed Amir Panahpour, while second and third place awards were given to Mohammad Hassan Zarifmanesh and Hasan Shirvani respectively. 

In the professional photo series, Hamid Vakili was named the winner, while Pouria Torabi received second place and Meqdad Madadi received third place

The special youth award was given to Arash Sepehri, Arshia Mirzai, and Fatemeh Saranj. Public narrative winners included Donya Eskandarzadeh, Seyyed Serajeddin Hosseini, Mohammad Reza Rahmani, Vahid Zarei, and Hassan Shahabi. Public video winners were Fatemeh Qaedi and Fatemeh Hadipour. Public photo winners included Reyhaneh Rouhani, Leila Sadat Aghili, Seyyed Javad Mirhosseini, Mohammad Amin Noubahar, and Mohammad Parsa Nateqi.

The “Life in War” photo exhibition opened with 89 selected photos and narratives from 65 artists. The list includes notable names such as Mohsen Ranginkaman, Alireza Esmaeili, Foad Eshtari, Zahra Ashrafi, Meraj Amani, Zeynab Tajeddin, Sahand Taki, Pouria Torabi, Fatemeh Jabbari among others.

The exhibition, which will run until March 6 in Tehran, will tour other cities nationwide.

Moreover, a comprehensive and exquisite photo book of the selected works will be published in the near future. This volume aims to transform digital works into a lasting cultural and historical document and is slated for publication next year after technical and artistic refinement.

SAB/