Speaking to the Persian service of MNA on Saturday, Golestan said, “I’ve never agreed with the ban on children and I have never prevented them from visiting art shows in my gallery.”
“It’s no matter if children come to galleries to make noise and even scream, because their presence at galleries makes them familiar with art and artistic spaces,” she added.
Golestan, 74, who is the mother of three children, noted that she was accustomed to taking her children to art shows at galleries during their childhood.
“I accept all the hardships resulting from children’s presence in my gallery that the children of my country become familiarized with art, and also to have this cultural move be institutionalized, therefore, I welcome children in my gallery,” she stated.
Children conventionally are not allowed to go to galleries in Iran. Gallery owners argue that children may damage artworks by touching them.
However, Nader Seyhun, the owner of Seyhun Gallery in Tehran, said last week that going to art galleries should be turned into a cultural tradition from childhood.
“People should be familiarized with art and galleries from childhood and families should familiarize their children with the culture of going to galleries and visiting art shows,” he told the Persian service of MNA.
“I grew up among artworks from childhood,” noted Nader who has been born into an artist family. His father, Hushang Seyhun, was an architect, sculptor and painter and his mother, Masumeh Seyhun, was a painter and the former owner of Seyhun Gallery.
Source:Tehran Times