TEHRAN - The second edition of the Hima Nakh and Negareh Exhibition is currently underway in Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center.

Organized by Iran’s ECO Cultural Institute, the exhibition displays traditional needlework and sewing as well as clothing design by contemporary artists of the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). 

The exhibition showcases some 450 artworks by 220 artists mostly from Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan, Sarvar Bakhti, the president of the ECO Cultural Institute announced on Saturday. 

Despite the fact that the artworks are from various geographical areas, they share common motifs and features, indicating that they have roots in the same culture and civilization, the official added.  

“Undoubtedly, clothing is an important part of the cultural life of various countries, and understanding the clothing [specs] of a nation can give us a sense of their culture,” she noted. 

By illustrating the level of knowledge and skills in this ancient field as well as the interaction between ECO member countries, the exhibition aims to identify and introduce artists and veterans in the field of traditional sewing, she mentioned. 

In addition to reviving forgotten arts and showing commonalities and contradictions between ECO members, the exhibition also seeks to raise the level of knowledge and skills for transfer among members at an international level in traditional arts, she explained. 

Bakhti also noted that peace and friendship is the central message of the exhibition. 

The exhibit will be running until September 21. 

Needlework (Souzan-douzi in Persian) is a very common occupation among females in some regions of the country.

It is the art of drawing images on plain fabrics by sewing delicate stitches using a needle and colorful yarns.

ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization encompassing countries from Europe, Caucuses and Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia with more than 460 million inhabitants and over 8 million square kilometers connecting Russia to the Persian Gulf and China to Europe.

According to the organization, its overall objective is to materialize the sustainable economic development of its member states and the region as a whole.

ABU/AFM