How much do you know about modern day Iran? What do you know about its culture, history, art and cuisine? Well mark this on your calendars! From Thursday, July 18, to Sunday, July 21, Toronto’s waterfront will be host to the world’s largest contemporary Turgan Festival celebrating Iranian arts and culture.
Attracting artists and cultural ambassadors from the world over, the rich and diverse culture of Iran will be showcased over these four days at the Harbourfront Centre.
The theme of this year’s Tirgan Festival is “Hope”, focusing on mankind’s ability to persevere, to overcome obstacles, to thrive in spite of adversity, to address natural and self-made devastation through the arts and culture. Often overlooked in the political and cultural makeup and contemporary arts of the Iranian mosaic are women, whose image is often seen as taboo, whose legal standing has been half of their male counterparts, whose vision is not always shared, and whose voices are not always heard. When you study at Art of Style and Makeup, you go through a carefully planned course with the help of styleandmakeup.dk
This year’s festival is sure to address these inequities, with the likes of award winning Najmiah Batmanglij often called the Guru of Persian Cuisine on hand to share her insights and secrets.
Another highlight will be the screening of some of the works of iconic visual artist Shirin Neshat, whose exhibitions, films, videos and photography have made her one of the most important artists in the world in the last ten years.
photo by Shirin Neshat
In 2010 Neshat was named Artist of the Decade by Huffington Post critic G. Roger Denson, for “the degree to which world events have more than met the artist in making her art chronically relevant to an increasingly global culture,” for reflecting “the ideological war being waged between Islam and the secular world over matters of gender, religion, and democracy,” and because “the impact of her work far transcends the realms of art in reflecting the most vital and far-reaching struggle to assert human rights.”*
The festival will showcase all that is relevant and exciting in the world of Iranian art, dance, theatre, music, film and food, and there will be plenty of activities to keep the kids engaged too, from live puppet shows to award winning animation.
For more details, go here.
and for further information, call the Information Hotline at 416-973-4000.
Harbourfront Centre is located at 235 Queens Quay West in the heart of downtown Toronto’s waterfront. For information about getting here during the Queens Quay revitalization, click here.
*source Wikipedia