The 2007 Festival Six weeks of Iranian Art
Launched on July 14, 2007, at Toronto’s Headbones Gallery, the first ‘Six Weeks of Iranian Art” festival was received with great enthusiasm by Toronto and the art community. Over 5,000 spectators took part in the first not-for-profit festival while more than 400,000 viewers visited the official website.
The event got recognition from three levels of government. Prime Minister Harper sent a letter of support as did the Toronto Mayor of the day, David Miller . Right Honourable Shelley Carroll Toronto’s Budget Chief attended the event.
The 2007 festival brought a new wave of Iranian avant-garde contemporary art to the forefront of Toronto’s art scene. “This series of exhibitions rises above political references and concerns to focus on the equalization of cultures… an enthusiasm that ranges from modernism to the post-modern conversation currently engaged in the light of cultural diversity that makes up the Canadian demographic” said Julie Oakes, Art Critic about the 2007 festival. The Toronto Star, City TV, and The Economist all raved about the innovative project.