TEHRAN – Italian gallery Weber & Weber in Turin put works by Iranian new media artists on view in an exhibition named “Manipulated Genes” from March 24 to May 7.

The art project is part of a series of three parallel exhibitions in France, Italy and Germany, the organizers announced.

The exhibition was organized in two parts, the first of which was dedicated to 26 video-art programs by 19 Iranian artists, including Nikzad Arabshahi, Omid Hashemi, Samad Qorbanzadeh, Mehrnush Rushanai, Nastaran Safai, Mandana Moqaddam and Hamed Sahihi.

This part also showcased works by Behnam Kamrani, Morteza Ahmadvand, Shirin Abedinirad, Soheil Kheirabadi, Alireza Khosroabadi, Farhideh Shahsavarani, Nima Nikakhlaq, Elmira Abolhassani, Rosita Taheri and Avazeh Almasi. 

In the second part, the exhibition showcased works by four the photographers Bijan Sayfuri, Melina Clade, Samad Qorbanzadeh and Alireza Memariani. 

The artists have made great efforts in the field of new media arts in Iran and other countries over the past two decades. In addition, a large number of them have received special awards at important international events.

Curated by Saeid Khavarnejad, the exhibition took into consideration the method and style of Iranian new media arts, unique in its method and form.

After more than two decades of new media productions in Iran, a large number of influential galleries do not regard these new productions, and see them as unproven media or unrelated to the Iranian public, the curator said in a statement for the exhibition. 

“Undoubtedly, this situation is not compatible with the search for the independence characteristic of contemporary art,” he noted and added, “Therefore, artists in this medium inevitably introduce their works in short films, animation festivals or biennials of contemporary art in other countries.”

The artists’ works arouse a lot of international enthusiasm, and Iranian video art has found its form and space in the West and East.

Weber & Weber has distinguished itself from the beginning of its activity for having dealt with young artists, both national and international, many of them holding their first exhibition.

MMS/YAW