An exhibition about the work and heritage of Iranian artists in the UK and particularly in West London.

“Fascinating to see a side of Iran most British people are totally unaware of" - museum visitor

After the 1979 revolution in Iran, large numbers of Iranian artists and intellectuals were forced to leave their country in order to escape the restrictions of the new regime. Many settled in London and have pursued their cultural activities, often with remarkable success, despite language barriers and cultural differences.  

Saeed Kamali Dehghan has written for The Guardian and was named as the 2010 Journalist of the Year by the Foreign Press Association. Sufi singer Parvin Cox has recorded with Sir John Tavener.  Ghazi Rabihavi, playwright and novelist, was introduced to the British public by Harold Pinter.

Ealing-based Hadi Khorsandi, satirist, poet and stand up comedian, has appeared in over 1000 performances in the West and both his children have become British media personalities in their own right.

The lives and experiences of twenty of these artists have been recorded on film and in an illustrated catalogue. The interviews with these artists are reproduced in the exhibition. Also on show are some examples of their paintings and books, together with a selection of the Iranian musical instruments on which many of them perform.

This exhibition has been put on by the Iranian Artists Association, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

It will be on show at Gunnersbury Park Museum 1March to 8 May, admission Free

The museum is open 7 days a week, from 11am – 4pm.