Exhibit celebrates Persian New Year

Exhibit celebrates Persian New Year

By Rodney Tanaka

Daily Bruin Staff

The first day of spring is a time for nature’s renewal. For
Iranians, the day also represents a fresh start to a new year.

The new exhibit at the Kerckhoff Art Gallery, sponsored by
UCLA’s Iranian Students Group, celebrates the Persian New Year,
Norouz, with paintings by artist Mostafa Heidari.

"Iranians come from a lot of different backgrounds and (Norouz)
is one thing that we all have in common," says Iranian Students
Group cultural coordinator Nasir Ebrahimian. "It’s just like
Christmas, usually you go to family dinners and give gifts and
well-wishing cards."

Tonight’s reception at the gallery will observe Norouz tradition
with the display of "Haft-seen," which includes seven objects
beginning with the letter ‘S’ that hold symbolic meaning.

"Sabzi is the grass they grow, and that’s because it’s the
beginning of spring and new, fresh flowers are going to be growing
and it’s celebrating new life," says group chair Sanaz Soltani.
"There’s water, and water means good luck and every door is going
to open no matter what you want to approach because it’s clear.
That means your problems will be clear and you’re going to achieve
anything you want."

Painter Mostafa Heidari has achieved a balance in his subjects
between personal experience and cultural identity. The paintings in
the gallery range from still-life studies to a recreation of a
400-year-old masque in Iran. Soltani chose his work to celebrate
the new year because "I know his art is real," Soltani says. "He
goes back to Persia often and he picks (as subjects) parts of towns
that normal people would not go see."

"Persian Bazar" offers a scene that he became familiar with as a
child. A beggar panhandles on the street. Vendors sell their wares.
The street bustles with activity.

"That’s really significant for him because he ran away from home
when he was 7-years-old and he was living in the streets for a few
years," Soltani says. "He used to spend the night there. He just
had that image in his head all through his life because he was
there for years and years."

Heidari spent a small portion of his life in the UCLA community.
He opened an art gallery in Westwood seven years ago, but only
stayed three years because of an attack that drove him away. He
lost vision in his right eye and was so shaken that he did not
paint for four years. In the painting "Life" an eye stares out from
a burning candle. A butterfly hovers near the flame.

"You’ve got to learn how to love from a butterfly, who loves a
candle and just (flies) by the candle until it burns," Soltani
says. "He’s trying to maintain his art until he just burns."

Heidari’s perspective connects him with students of Iranian
history and culture at UCLA.

"There is a lot of truth in his art for us Persians," Soltani
says. "UCLA is one of the two universities in the United States
that offers a bachelor’s (degree) in Iranian studies and also in
Persian classical music, and I think people in those two
departments are flocking toward the gallery because they can relate
it to their classrooms. A lot of the poetry he’s written and the
pictures behind it are the poetry we have to study in classes."

Two paintings visualize the poetry of Hafez with mixture of
colors and written characters.

"(Hafez is) one of the earlier poets of Persia," Soltani says.
"He was into mysticism and his pieces are all about reaching God
through love and the renewal of life."

Soltani says she hopes Heidari’s works will also expose UCLA
students to Iranian culture.

"I think the variety of the cultural backgrounds we have in UCLA
is so significant and this way by displaying different things we
can educate the UCLA general campus, not just in classrooms but
also in real life," Soltani says. "They can go and see it, it’s not
just something you have to study out of the book."

ART: Reception tonight at 5. For more info, call (310)
825-1845.

Mostafa Heidari’s ‘Gypsy Girl’

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