TEHRAN – The 33rd Iranian Youth Visual Arts Festival opened on Sunday at the ancient Taq-e Bostan historical site in Kermanshah, bringing together 173 young artists, 11 workshop instructors and participants from Iraq and Oman under the slogan “Let’s Not Muddy the Water.”
The opening ceremony was attended by festival officials, provincial authorities, cultural figures and international guests. Among those present were Reza Sadeqzadeh, the festival secretary; Aydin Mehdizadeh, head of the festival’s policy-making council; Jafar Vahedi, executive secretary; and Mozaffar Teymouri, head of the provincial organizing committee.
Kermanshah Governor Manouchehr Habibi, Deputy Governor for Political and Security Affairs Bahram Soleimani, Kermanshah Mayor Bijan Moradi, and other provincial and cultural officials also attended the event.
The ceremony featured speeches by festival organizers and provincial officials, along with a performance of traditional music from Kermanshah. Following a visit to the historic Taq-e Bostan complex, the festival’s workshops began at the Kermanshah Girls’ Fine Arts High School.
In a message to the festival, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi emphasized the importance of identifying and supporting young artistic talent across the country, highlighting the role of regional cultural events in promoting cultural justice and decentralizing national programs.
Salehi described Iran’s young artists as inheritors of the country’s rich cultural and artistic heritage and stressed that providing equal opportunities for visibility, education and professional development is essential to nurturing their potential.
He noted that hosting this year’s festival in Kermanshah, a region whose enduring historical monuments testify to the longstanding relationship between art and Iranian identity, represents more than a change of venue. It also reflects the need to expand national cultural events beyond major urban centers and create greater opportunities for young talents throughout the country.
The minister further expressed hope that the festival would go beyond a few days of competition and exhibitions to become an effective platform for discovering emerging artists, connecting them with established masters and providing sustained support for their artistic development.
The 11 instructors leading this year’s workshops represent a range of visual arts disciplines. They include Maryam Kahvand in graphic design, Maneli Manouchehri in illustration, Marzieh Taqikhani in ceramics, Zeinab Shahi in miniature painting, Jamshid Haqiqatshenas in painting, Jamal Arabzadeh in design, Behnam Seddiqi in photography, Mohammad Ali Ghorbani in calligraphy, Jamal Rahmati in caricature, Mohammad Hossein Emad in sculpture, and Behnam Kamrani in new media art.
The workshops are scheduled to run from Sunday noon through Tuesday afternoon, November 17. At the end of the sessions, participants will submit their works for evaluation by the festival jury.
The closing ceremony and award presentation will take place on Wednesday afternoon, November 18, at the Entezar Cultural and Artistic Complex in Kermanshah.
The annual festival aims to identify and encourage emerging talents in various fields of visual arts while providing opportunities for young artists to learn from experienced professionals and exchange creative ideas. Its 33rd edition also highlights the cultural and artistic capacities of Iran’s provinces by bringing a major national art event to the country’s western region.
SAB/
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
