TEHRAN – Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) is playing host to an exhibition displaying a collection of Iranian artworks on Persian poet Nezami Ganjavi.

The museum has also borrowed some artworks from collectors for the showcase entitled “Panj Ganj” (“Five Treasures”).

Opening on Saturday evening with a special musical performance by Avay-e Mehr ensemble beside Japanese artist Noriyuki Haraguchi’s “Oil Pool”, the exhibition borrows the title from the Khamseh, Nezami’s pentalogy which is also known as Panj Ganj (Five Treasures).

Works by Iranian art’s greats such as Gholam-Hossein Nami, Farmarz Pilaram, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Ali-Akbar Sadeqi, Sadeq Tabrizi, Hossein Mahjubim Kurosh Shishegaran, Mohammad Ehsai, Sohrab Sepehri, Mohammad-Baqer Aqamiri and Yaqubi Emdadian have been chosen for the exhibition, which will run until May 8. 

“When we were collecting the artworks for the exhibition, I noticed that there are few artists who have created works on Nezami,” TMCA director Ehsan Aqai said at the opening ceremony of the exhibit.

“Those artists whose works have been selected for the exhibition studied at the schools which used to pay more attention to Persian poetry and literature, but due to today’s method of education, the younger generation of artists is not associated with literature,” he added.

He proposed that art schools and academies should pay more attention to literature “so that the country can witness an increase in the number of artworks representing the profundity of Persian literature.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Iranian culture minister aide Mahmud Shalui, who is also the director of a commemoration program for Nezami, also lamented the lack of attention to Persian literature in modern Iranian art.  

He pointed to Esfand 21 on the Iranian calendar year, which is celebrated as Nezami Day every year, and said, “This day has been dedicated to celebrate Nezami Ganjavai. However, we haven’t done anywhere near enough to promote the great poet.”

He proposed that a permanent secretariat should be set up to seek more intensive commemoration programs for Nezami in upcoming years.

Iran is commemorating Nezami Ganjavi in a weeklong program, which began Esfand 21 on the Iranian calendar year (March 12), which is celebrated by Iran as Nezami Day. 

This year’s celebration for Nezami Day, which will run for a week, features special events Iran is organizing in response to some false claims made by the Azerbaijan Republic about the Iranian poet.    

Photo: Iranian culture minister aide Mahmud Shalui (L) and a number of artists visit the Five Treasures Exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on March 12, 2022. (Honaronline/Gatha Ziatabari)
      
MMS/YAW