Epic Iran
29 May – 21 September 2021
Material from AOTFD and Golestan Estate exhibited at the V&A’s Epic Iran exhibition.
We have contributed visual material from various archives: Festival of Arts, Shiraz-Persepolis, revolution and war photographs by Kaveh Golestan, and photographs from Hengameh Golestan’s Witness ‘79 series.
Epic Iran explores 5,000 years of Iranian art, design and culture, bringing together over 300 objects from ancient, Islamic and contemporary Iran. Iran was home to one of the great historic civilisations, yet its monumental artistic achievements remain unknown to many. Epic Iran explores this civilisation and the country’s journey into the 21st century, from the earliest known writing – signalling the beginning of history in Iran – through to the 1979 Revolution and beyond.
Ranging from sculpture, ceramics and carpets, to textiles, photography and film, the works in this exhibition reflect the country’s vibrant historic culture, architectural splendours, the abundance of myth, poetry and tradition that have been central to Iranian identity for millennia, and the evolving, self-renewing culture evident today.
The exhibition is organised by the V&A with the Iran Heritage Foundation in association with The Sarikhani Collection. Curated by: Dr John Curtis (Academic Director, IHF), Tim Stanley (Senior Curator, V&A), Ina Sarikhani Sandmann (Director, the Sarikhani Collection), Sarah Piram (Project Curator, V&A), Dr Alex Magub (Exhibition Research Assistant, V&A), Astrid Johansen (Director of Operations, IHF).
Acquisition news
To coincide with Epic Iran, the V&A would like to acquire a set of ten of Golestan’s Polaroids for their collection. We would like to assist in the fundraising efforts to place these works in the V&A’s collection, one of the largest and most important photography collections in the world, and preserve Golestan’s legacy as a historically significant photographer.
Discover more details about the acquisition and how to support it here