Exhibit gives contemporary view of Iran

 The exhibit “Persion Visions: Contemporary Photography from Iran” is on display from now through Oct. 28. It features 30 works of photography and video installations by 20 of Iran’s most celebrated photographers.

“One of the main themes of the exhibit is that behind political conflict there is humanity,” said Sarah Polak, director of the Sandoz Center. “We are excited to be able to present these images and start a dialog about the variety of topics these images address. These are truly contemporary images. They are not graphic or explicit, but they are very different than what our visitors are used to seeing.”

Despite the miles from northwest Nebraska to the Middle East, Polak said the intent of the exhibit is well within the spirit of Mari Sandoz.

“Sandoz, through her works ‘Crazy Horse’ and ‘Cheyenne Autumn,’ was deeply involved in promoting cultural understanding. This is exactly what this exhibit hopes to accomplish, as well,” she said.

The exhibit was developed by Hamid Severi for the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Gary Hallman of the Regis Center for Art at the University of Minnesota, and toured by International Arts & Artists of Washington, D.C. It is locally supported by the Sandoz Center General Endowment, the Gerald “Chris” Christoffersen Fund, the Bob and Joyce Hardy Endowment and the Thomas L. and Carol K. Krepel Fund.

The Sandoz Center, which is open to the public free of charge, is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed from noon to 1 p.m. each day and for college holidays.