Iranian art exhibition

A new art gallery in Dubai's Al Quoz district aims to raise the regional and international profile of emerging Iranian artists in its opening exhibition, scheduled for 16 June.

BASEMENT gallery, created by a consortium of architects, art collectors and entrepreneurs, will showcase the works of five Iranian artists, all of whom are under the age of 40 and the majority of whom have not exhibited their works previously outside Iran.

"One of the concepts behind the gallery name is to create a platform for bringing these artists and their works out of the ‘basements' where art is sometimes stored and forgotten into a growing regional and global marketplace," said Baharak Raoufi, one of the founders of the BASEMENT gallery.

BASEMENT's opening exhibition is themed around the concept of ‘contemporary living', with large canvases that incorporate abstract themes, vibrant colour, and elements of Iranian calligraphy. It will run until July 7.

The artists taking part in the inaugural exhibition include:

Shahpari Behzadi - a one-time teacher and gallerist whose work has previously been sold in Hungary and Slovakia

Hossein Edalatkhah - a painter with more than 20 previous exhibitions in Iran

Aisling Haghshenas - an Irish-Iranian contemporary painter

Rayka Milanian - an artist not exhibited in Dubai since 2001, with striking large-scale canvases

Farbod Morshedzadeh - A PhD holder influenced by his years spent in India

For further information on BASEMENT, visit www.basementdubai.com or call +9714 341 4409.