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Karan Vafadari and his wife Afarin Niasari, owners of Tehran’s Aun Gallery, have been detained in the city’s Evin Prison for ten
months on numerous charges including the display of “unethical and inappropriate art.” Photo by and courtesy Cyrus Vafadari.
Gallerists Jailed
Iranian-American Karan Vafadari and his wife Afarin Niasari, owners of Aun
Gallery in Tehran, have been held in Evin Prison since their arrest in July 2016.
On July 20, 2016, Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) agents stopped Niasari at Tehran’s
Imam Khomeini International Airport as she was
about to board a flight. She was told to call her
husband and ask him to meet her at the airport.
When he arrived, the couple were detained.
The following day, Vafadari and Niasari were
taken to their Tehran home in handcuffs. IRGC
agents removed artworks from the walls, damaged
or destroyed some in the yard, while others
were confiscated. IRGC agents also went to Aun
Gallery and seized or destroyed artworks that
were on display. According to Aun’s exhibition
schedule, the gallery’s last show was an exhibition
of Iranian artists that ended on July 21, 2016.
Days after the couple were taken to Evin
Prison, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari
Dolatabadi released a statement to indicate that
“two Iranian dual nationals” had been charged
with displaying “unethical and inappropriate
art,” organizing mixed-gender parties for
foreign diplomats and serving alcohol at their
home. Dolatabadi claimed that “4,000 liters of
alcohol” were found in their possession. Under
Iran’s constitution, Zoroastrians are not banned
from consuming alcohol. Despite this, Vafadari,
who is of Zoroastrian faith, and Niasari have
been barred from seeking legal counsel during
their detention.
Vafadari’s sister, Kateh, who resides in
Washington, DC, penned a letter to Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei in December 2016, alleging
that the case was fabricated and the couple had
faced “extortion, property seizure and national
security threats.” More than 200 Iranian artists
and intellectuals have also rallied and signed
a letter to Iran’s head of judiciary, demanding
immediate release of the gallerists. On March
8, 2017, Kateh released an update on her blog
“Free Karan & Afarin,” detailing new charges
the couple are facing, including “attempting
to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran,”
“recruiting and signing up spies through foreign
embassies” and “assembly and collusion against
national security.”
Established in 2009, Aun Gallery is a privately
owned contemporary art space. The gallery
organized roughly 10 exhibitions per year,
including for trailblazing Iranian artists such
as Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Mahmoud Bakhshi,
Sahand Hesamiyan and Abbas Akbari. The gallery
has been closed since the couple’s arrest.
Conservatives in the Islamic Republic of
Iran have targeted multiple dual nationals like
Vafadari in the past two years, particularly those
who hold US or UK citizenships. The US State
Department has issued a travel warning, stating
that “Iranian authorities continue to unjustly
detain and imprison US citizens, particularly
Iranian-Americans.”Awards
London-based filmmaker and artist Shen
Xin was named one of the four recipients
of the inaugural Baltic Artists’ Award on
March 2. Supported by the Baltic Centre for
Contemporary Art in the United Kingdom, the
biennial prize recognizes emerging artists.At the opening of Sharjah Biennial 13, on
March 14, the exhibition’s prizes were awarded
to İnci Eviner, Uriel Orlow, Dineo Seshee
Bopape and Walid Siti, for their standout
works in the Biennial, while the late Ali Jabri
(1943–2002) was awarded an honorary prize.Asia Society’s Asia Arts Awards honored Hon
Chi Fun, Kimsooja, Rashid Rana and Hiroshi
Sugimoto on March 23 in Hong Kong for their
significant contributions to contemporary art
in Asia.Obituaries
On February 14, art critic Nigel Cameron passed
away in Hong Kong at age 96. Cameron had
been an instrumental figure in the development
of Hong Kong’s art scene in the 1960s.Chinese photographer and poet Ren Hang took
his own life on February 24 at the age of 29.
His provocative and often controversial images
of nude figures encapsulated a generation’s
views on youth, freedom and romantic and
platonic love.Israeli-born artist Boaz Vaadia died on February 25
at age 65. He is best known for his figurative
sculptures made from stones sourced from
New York City streets.Australian abstract painter Sydney Ball passed
away on March 5 at the age of 83. He was
regarded as a pioneer of abstract painting in
Australia, working in a variety of styles over his
long career.(Left to right) Kimsooja, Hon Chi Fun, Rashid Rana and
Hiroshi Sugimoto at Asia Society’s Asia Arts Awards in
Hong Kong. Courtesy Asia Society Hong Kong Center.Interior view of Aun Gallery in Tehran. Courtesy Cyrus Vafadari.