Design Bulletin

Who says good design can only be found in Berlin or New York? Tehran, a city teeming with young artistic talent, ended last year with its 10th International Poster Biennial, held at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

I find it amazing that anyone in Tehran could find the time to celebrate anything -let alone put on a poster biennial - in the midst of all the political turmoil. However, the Iranians are a resilient, fun-loving people and managed to pull some pretty amazing work together for the 10th edition of the biennial. There were artists from Japan, Afghanistan, Belarus, Croatia, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey and Brazil (Payvand). Although it is evident that the regime ruling Iran is anything but transparent and liberal, it is to their credit that such an event is happening at all, especially considering that people are constantly in the streets calling for their heads. The event was planned and organised jointly by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Institute for the Development of Visual Arts (Khatt Foundation), so presumably there wasn't anything too critical or politically sensitive on exhibit.

Information on the event was a little difficult to find on the Web, so I don't really have any specifics on subject matter. The works were to revolve around cultural and social themes, with a sub-category for man and the environment; some photos of the posters can be found here.

The Biennial also paid tribute to distinguished designers from 3 countries (including Great Britain, the current regime's mortal enemy, at least according to their rhetoric). One of those honoured was a cherished Iranian artist named Morteza Momayez. Momayez, whose work has been exhibited in Asia, Europe and North America, uses colours and interesting angles to explore the graphic potential of written of Persian. Especially interesting, at least for those not really familiar with the Arabic alphabet used in Persian, is the calligraphy-like treatment of the characters in Momayez's corporate logos.

This poster biennial is just one of many interesting artistic events that happen throughout the year in Iran. Contrary to what people may think, there is a thriving counter-culture that gives itself expression through design, street art and different types of music. If you want to treat your eyes to some hypnotic visuals, explore the website of The 5th Color, an association of some of the top Iranian graphic designers.

And if you want to make an afternoon out of it, get out your hookah, heat up some tea, and play this song: