Visiting Arts' Curator research visits enable UK curators to visit different countries and regions of the world offering the opportunity to encounter contemporary arts practice in specific contexts and to forge the creation of cultural links and understanding. Previous visits undertaken by Visiting Arts have included journeys to China, Colombia, Egypt and Russia, all of which have resulted in considerable arts activity here.

Visiting Arts has a long established cultural relationship with Iran, working with the visual and performing arts since 1999. In 2000, Visiting Arts was instrumental in supporting the first major exhibition of Iranian art in the UK for over 20 years, presented at the Barbican Art Centre, London.

Building on and developing the significant reputation that the UK holds for presenting international contemporary art, a group of curators from major art institutions in the UK participated in a research visit to Tehran. They were looking to gain an understanding of the contemporary Iranian visual arts scene, build relationships with artists and arts organisations, and experience the context of Tehran. The organisations they represented demonstrate a wide geographical cross-section of both important and respected arts provision in England and Scotland.

The visit was led by two members of Visiting Arts staff Kathryn Standing, visual arts manager, and Sholeh Johnston, project coordinator.

The group comprised:
Eddie Berg - Artistic Director, BFI Southbank, London
Kyla McDonald - Assistant Curator, Tate Modern Acquisitions, London
Francis McKee - Director, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow
Angela Peagram - Project Director, Art & Sacred Places, UK wide
Tom Trevor - Director, Arnolfini, Bristol
Alessandro Vincentelli - Acting Head of Program, Baltic, Gateshead

On May 25th, the group held separate presentations at Azad Art Gallery during a public session organised by Sohrab Kashani of Sazmanab in partnership with Parkingallery.

Venue: Azad Art Gallery [Tehran]
Monday, April 25, 2009 – 4 PM