TEHRAN – Art galleries in Tehran have almost been deserted in light of the latest spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance earlier canceled all art, cultural and cinematic events in an attempt to stem the coronavirus’ spread.

The director of Tehran’s Mojdeh Gallery has lamented the dearth of its regular ardent visitors for a calligraphic painting exhibit currently underway at the gallery.

“The exhibit named ‘Zemestaneh’ by curator Kiarash Yaqubi has provided a chance for the young artists to offer a variety of works of calligraphic paintings in different techniques and dimensions,” Mojdeh Tabatabai said in a press release published on Tuesday.

She said that they expected a warm welcome at the opening ceremony on Friday, however, the number of visitors was few due to the new coronavirus’ spread in the capital. 

“After the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced the cancelation of all the art, cultural and cinematic events, the exhibit is half open and the visitors are asked to visit the exhibit with an appointment in response to the situation,” she remarked. 

“The works are also available on the gallery’s Instagram page, however, I think people are not in the mood for purchasing any artworks,” she noted.

She said that they are forced to close the exhibit on Friday, adding, “Because it is not clear what will happen next week and because people will get busier with the preparation for Noruz.”

Photo: Calligraphy paintings by a number of Iranian artists are on view in an exhibition entitled “Zemestaneh” at Mojdeh Gallery in Tehran on February 24, 2020. (Honaronline/Siamak Zorrodi-Motlaq) 

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