Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize
The Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize was designed by Candlestar for the London based charity Magic of Persia. Candlestar’s offices in London and Tehran provided the administrative and artistic infrastructure for the 2009 award.
This was the first global award to recognise the talent of emerging Iranian artists. To ensure the highest possible quality of submission, entry was solely by nomination and forty-seven leading experts drawn from within the Iranian and international arts communities acted as nominators for the award.
For the first edition of the award in 2009, nominators used their specialist knowledge to identify the emerging artists who best represent the diversity and vitality of the contemporary Iranian art scene. They put forward over 120 artists who, in turn, submitted over 500 artworks across four categories: Painting, Photography, Sculpture and New Media.
The work of the six finalists of the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize were shown at the Royal College of Art in London from 15-17 October 2009. Mahmoud Bakhshi Moakhar was announced as the winner on Saturday 17 October 2009, following an auction, by Christies, of the finalists' works. Half of the proceeds went to the finalists and the other half towards the Magic of Persia Artist Residencies Programme.
Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize Press
Click here to go to the Finalists' Exhibition page