Focus Iran 3

The Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) and Farhang Foundation present the juried exhibition Focus Iran 3: Contemporary Photography and Video. Focus Iran is a series of biennial exhibitions that features distinctive perspective about Iran through photography and video works. This year’s theme puts a lens on Iranian youth culture. An international panel of jurors selected forty-two photographs and videos that will be displayed in a group exhibition from January 27 to May 12, 2019, with an opening reception to take place on January 26 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The exhibition will continue to the University of California, Irvine’s Viewpoint Gallery from October 5 to November 5, 2019.

The artists selected for the exhibition reside mostly in Iran or the United States, with some residing in countries such as Canada, France, Italy, and Portugal. Each were selected for their multi-faceted and intriguing views into young Iranians and how they navigate their lives. Some portraits reveal personal style or street fashion, while others show time spent participating in leisure activities such as sport or music. Other works explore queer identity and gender representations, as well as the relationship that youth have with religion, family, and the state.

The top three cash prize winners are a photograph by Hushidar Mortezaie and Jiyan Zandi ($3,000); a video work by Labkhand Olfatmanesh and Gazelle Samizay ($2,000); and a photograph by Milad Karamooz ($1,000).