A visitor to the Iran contemporary art exhibition looks at an art piece. Photo: Du Qiongfang/Global Times

The year of 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iran. An exhibition featuring traditional Persian art and leading Iran contemporary artwork has been put on display in Shanghai since Wednesday to introduce Persian civilization, allow Chinese viewers to feel contemporary Iranian culture, and extend friendship between the two nations. 

The exhibition titled "Dialogue Beyond Time & Space—2021 The Legend of Persia Art," will run through August 10 at Powerlong Art Center. 

From paintings and sculptures to art installations, the exhibition brought art pieces which were created by 43 contemporary Iranian artists to present a combination of Persian classic art and modern look to Chinese viewers for the first time. 

According to Ramazan Parvaz, Consul General of Iran in Shanghai, who addressed the opening ceremony, Iran and China have a friendship dating back to the ancient Silk Road era and the profound interaction between the two countries in trade and culture has been extended to the present, with their cultures enjoying a vast range of areas in common. 

"Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative and the 25 Years Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Plan, the new era for cooperation and integration has begun, especially in the culture sector," said Parvaz, wishing more active and flourishing cooperation and communication to be carried out under the new stage. 

Iran's geographical position between the East and the West helped to transform this land into a crossroad of civilization and became a great source of arts and thoughts. It has rich art heritages involving weaving and architecture as well as intangible heritage such as poetry. 

This exhibition vows to present the contemporary Iranian arts which demonstrate the actual trend of the minds of Iranian artists to Chinese people, bringing the two civilizations together in the modern era, said Hossein Bordbar, curator of the exhibition, noting that art is the essential way of communication and understanding between nations.