Co-founded by Erfan Ghiasi and Ghazel in 2022, The Tehran Summit creates an alternative way of looking at the process of art-making and rejects the monopolization of art by the market. Due to travel restrictions to Iran, The Tehran Summit takes advantage of the internet and online platforms and creates a bridge between Iran’s artistic atmosphere and other countries and brings together different contemporary discourses and methods of art-making utilized by artists and art collectives. The Tehran Summit arises out of an urgent need for events initiated by independent art practitioners, non-profit collaborations, and radical thinkers in a climate heavily affected by commercial galleries, politicized art institutions, and market-oriented exhibitions. Concentrating on socially engaged art projects and contemporary aesthetics and philosophy, The Tehran Summit functions as a forum for visual artists, cultural practitioners, and thinkers to debut ideas and for organizers to engage summit audiences in their projects and communities.
The Tehran Summit is an annual event held in May. Each evening at 8:30 PM Tehran Time, during the absence of the Sun in the Middle East, a speaker presents a lecture. These speakers share their ideas and insights, connecting the specific theme of the summit to their lived experiences within their social contexts. This approach provides valuable insight and encourages active engagement with the summit’s local and international audience.