Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize Finalists' Exhibition

The Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize Finalists’ Exhibition, Royal College of Art 15-17 October 2009, was designed and produced by Candlestar for the London-based charity Magic of Persia.

The Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize is a global search to identify the most talented emerging Iranian artists and provide an international platform for their career. Selected from over 120 nominees, six finalists exhibited at the Royal College of Art:

Farhad Ahrarnia
Mahmoud Bakhshi Moakhar
Vahid Chamani
Sahand Hesamiyan
Abbas Kowsari
Newsha Tavakolian

The winner was selected from the six finalists by a jury whose members included leading figures from the Iranian and International art scenes: Kamran Diba, YZ Kami, Shirin Neshat, Julia Peyton-Jones, Parviz Tanavoli and chaired by Sheena Wagstaff.

Following an auction of the finalists’ works by Jussi Pylkkänen, President of Christie’s Europe and Middle East, the winner was announced as Mahmoud Bakhshi Moakhar on Saturday 17^th October 2009 during a cocktail reception at the Royal College of Art.