TEHRAN – Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Reza Salehi-Amiri said on Tuesday that he was behind the cancellation of the exhibition of Western artworks from the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) in Berlin.

He made the remarks in his first press conference since last November when he was appointed to the position.

“The exhibition was canceled due to the legal ambiguity hidden in the agreement, and I proposed the exhibit to be canceled pending further investigation,” the minister said.

The exhibition was set to open at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin on December 4, but was postponed in November.

“The Cultural Commission of the Government is currently studying the case to decide on the submission of the collection to Germany,” he remarked.

“The exhibition of the Western collection of TMCA in Belin will only be possible after the approval of the cabinet,” he emphasized.

He added that exhibition of artworks in other countries as well as exhibitions of works from other countries in Iran is part of the cultural diplomacy of Iran.

He next elaborated on different cultural policies of his ministry in detail, adding that he believes dialogue is the only way to reach cultural solidarity and consensus. 

“We are living in a populous society and all the art and cultural attitudes in the realm of the Islamic Revolution must enjoy equal rights,” he said.

“We need to talk to find out more about our cultural commonalities and stay loyal to them. Dialogue helps us to better understand each other,” he explained.

“Cultural wisdom, cultural diversity, cultural honesty and cultural consensus are other characteristics we need to preserve to achieve cultural stability,” he continued. 

He also noted that the ministry’s new approach will be the fair distribution of cultural resources in other cities and regions across the country. “Tehran is not the whole country and the whole country is not Tehran,” he remarked.

RM/YAW