Battle of Karbala – Painting – Brooklyn Museum

AUDITIONS – April 17-18, 2009, Friday and Saturday STAGED READING – April 19, 2009, Sunday “The Domestic Crusaders”, The First Major Muslim-American Play for the Post 9-11 World, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, NYC – www.domesticcrusaders.com The Domestic Crusaders makes its New York premiere at the world famous Nuyorican in Fall 2009. Opening 9/11/09 to 10/19/09. Please engage in this historic effort by auditioning or attending the staged reading in NYC. “The Domestic Crusaders is exactly the sort of theater we need today. The gulf that separates cultures must be bridged and Art is one of our best hopes. I’ll be supporting…

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Contemporary Iranian Art from the Permanent Collection. This exhibition features seven works by three generations of Iranian artists—Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (b. 1924), Parviz Tanavoli (b. 1937), Y.Z. Kami (b. 1956), Shirin Neshat (b. 1957), Afruz Amighi (b. 1974), and Ali Banisadr (b. 1976)—four of whom live and work in the United States, while two continue to work in Iran. Despite their diverse modes of expression, these artworks reflect an intrinsic connection with Iran and address issues of identity, political and social concerns, gender, nostalgia, and cultural pride.

Iranian Comic-Book Artists Seek a Unique, Local Identity – NYTimes.com. Many young Iranian artists admit to a passion for comic books from the United States and Europe. They can be purchased in Tehran, though they are expensive and often covered with the censors’ black ink. But local artists say they are trying to stamp their work with an Iranian identity.