The Damonfar Visual Arts Festival is dedicated to artists under 25 years of age and the first place winner will get an opportunity to travel to Germany to visit the Faber-Castell factory.
The participants including the artists and the jury members were asked to observe a moment’s silence for the victims who lost their lives in the collapse of the Plasco Building in Tehran after a fierce fire broke out in the 17-storey commercial center on Thursday.
Damonfar Managing Director Seifollah Pouya Rad, in his brief words, called the paintings by the young artists thought-provoking issue, adding, "The young artists act like a mirror reflecting the society. We must hand the society to them so that they make the future. Therefore, the officials need to pay due attention to the hidden words in the paintings and study them."
He also asked the public sector to support those members of the private sector active in promoting art.
Painter and art expert Aidin Aghdashlu, who presided over the jury of the festival, asked the participating young artists not to feel despairing if their works were not selected.
"You must work and work and work and be hopeful of the future. You must know that Aghdashlu could not sell his works either when he was 20," he told the young artists.
"The young artists need to be more patient and make more efforts. Many 20-year-old artists are better than me when I was 20. And if they continue this way they will have a brighter future," he asserted.
The Damonfar Company is the Iranian representative of France’s Pebeo and Germany’s Faber-Castell, two companies that manufacture art materials.
Juergen Braun, a Faber-Castell official also attending the ceremony, said supporting the Damonfar festival is one of the major goals of the company.
He said that the company showcases the film of the festival all across the world every year to make people acquainted with the Iranian artists.
Several artists were also honored on the sidelines of the program. The ceremony ended by honoring veteran artist Mohammad-Ebrahim Jafari for his lifetime achievements.
Source: Tehran Times