TEHRAN – The National Biennial of Contemporary Iranian Ceramic Art announced on Monday that the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) has become the “spiritual sponsor” of the 11th edition of the showcase.

“The sponsorship is an international credit to the biennial,” the president of the biennial, Hirbod Hemmat-Azad said in a press release published on Monday.

“As a major organization, the academy supports international events based on its constitution,” he added and noted that the biennial has obtained the sponsorship with the help of jury member Jacques Kaufmann, the former president of the academy.

Based on an agreement with the academy, the biennial is allowed to publish its posters with the logo of the academy, he said.       

In addition, the academy has undertaken to publish news about the biennial in its media.

Located in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Academy of Ceramics was founded in 1952 by Henry J. Reynaud, who chaired the academy until his death in 1964.

“The goal of the IAC is to stimulate friendship and communication between professionals in the field of ceramics in all countries,” the academy has written in an introduction on its website. 

“The IAC develops and encourages all forms of international cooperation to promote ceramics, and to encourage and maintain production at the highest level of quality in all ceramic arts.

“Since 1958, the IAC has been affiliated with UNESCO, first on a consulting basis and then, since 2001, as an official partner in the cultural sector.”

Hemmat-Azad, Behzad Ajdari, Kurosh Arish, Rojhaneh Hosseini, Nafiseh Khalaj, Bita Fayyazi, Abbas Akbari, Shabanali Qorbani, Ghazaleh Sheibani and Reza Taebi are Iranian members of the IAC.

The National Biennial of Contemporary Iranian Ceramic Art will be held at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center from October 30 to November 27 after a nine-year hiatus.

Photo: A poster for the 11th National Biennial of Contemporary Iranian Ceramic Art.

MMS/YAW