Time:
2010 Jul 03 11:00 - 11:00

Language:

Summary:
Illuminating Iran (Main Bar and Sushi Bar)
Saturday, July 3 to Friday, August 6, 2010

Description:
Let me take you on a short journey, a journey that suggests how the reality of a place may be quite different from the images our society and media provides.

Arriving in Iran, we are struck by the glimpses of beauty and exuberant culture we would expect from the old Persian Empire: the glory of Persepolis and ancient rulers, the magic of Zoroastrianism, superlative Islamic architecture, and centuries of influences from diverse cultures. Still, at first, our experiences remain remote and focused on the physical: scale, quantity, colors and shapes-our eyes looking for what we might expect.

Then, on encountering the people, we experience a respect for the other and hospitality to the traveler. We recognize a kind of ancestral curiosity, uniquely strong and vivid, in basically everyone we meet. We move beyond easy first impressions to learn more about the people's past, how they have adapted, about tradition, society, and the fusion - rather than the clash - of thought, religion and cultures.

Furthermore, we feel that the image of hostility towards the West, if formally projected, has no base in people's thoughts. Persians we meet, not only the young, rather like the West. The more we see, the more we realize how kind, open and ready to share they are. We see how deep, rich and complex the human tapestry of Iran is-so far from the one-dimensional concepts tailored for the convenience of evening news.

This warmth and openness shows us the true face of the people of Iran, who share the same likes and dislikes as other people everywhere. Like us, they crave a peaceful and long life - despite the challenges of this world in constant flux.

Tom Kuczynski

Tom Kuczynski was born in 1977 in Poland and has lived in Japan for over six years. In 2006 he obtained a PhD in finance at Hiroshima Shudo University and joined the Embassy of Poland in Tokyo. His photos have been published in GRAPHIA magazine and his multimedia presentations shown to audiences at movie theatres and universities in Cracow, Helsinki, London and Hiroshima. In 2007 he was awarded the Special Committee Prize to mark the tenth anniversary of the "Japan through Diplomats' Eyes" photo contest.
Author's blog: http://www.tomkuczynski.blogspot.com/

The Exhibition Committee