TEHRAN - "There is no evidence of a necessity to reconstruct or imitate Western art movements at the New Art Exhibition," says member of the Planning Council of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Dr. Ahmad Nadalian. "The most important purpose of the New Art Exhibition is to find new methods of artistic expression using new experiences in the international art world," He explained.

"Through these methods one can use Western experiences while preserving one's independent identity," Nadalian added. He said that one of the main reasons in changing the name of the exhibition to New Art was the fact that if art were to be limited to conceptual art, then works exhibited would have had to be limited to a particular historical movement of the 1970s and 80s.

"Despite the fact that works shown during last year's exhibition were not necessarily considered conceptual art, the title New Art was chosen this year in response to criticism we received last year," Nadalian elaborated. He said the difference between New Art and the Conceptual Art is that the latter is, "An idea expressed by various methods without paying any attention to aesthetics, whereas inherently present in New Art is aesthetics -- using multi-media technology." Nadalian said that the exhibition is an excuse to better promote artistic methods that are not well known in this country - without leading new artists to historic events of the past. "Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has introduced new experiences in art and unlike previous years, it has varied its functions accordingly."