In the frame of the exhibition of Deutscher Fotobuchpreis (German photobook award) at Forum für Fotografie, Cologne, mohit.art and Forum für Fotografie invite a live audience to a curator talk with Hassan and Hossein Rowshanbakht (Kashan, Iran) and Dr. Norbert Moos (Forum für Fotografie, Cologne), moderated by Dr. Bernd Fechner (mohit.art, Berlin).
The historic city of Kashan, located on the edge of the desert three hours south of Tehran has, in recent years, developed into an impressive new center for international photography in Iran. It is home to three contemporary art houses: House of Steve, Hasht Cheshmeh Art Space, and one of the largest photographic institution in the southern hemisphere, House of Lucie. Despite the difficult conditions caused by the US sanctions, two more art museums are currently being built in Kashan. All of them were co-founded and are managed by Hassan and Hossein Rowshanbakht.
The brothers Hassan and Hossein Rowshanbakht, born in Kashan in 1991, studied architecture and photography and have been working as lecturers, curators, and architectural developers in Kashan and Tehran since 2017. In cooperation with mohit.art and Emkan Gallery, Tehran, they showcased a selection of Deutscher Fotobuchpreis 2021/22 at Hasht Cheshmeh Art Space, Kashan, in December 2021. This exhibition is currently on tour in other cities in Iran.
Dr. Norbert Moos is the founder and sponsor of the Forum für Fotografie in Cologne. A private initiative since 2003, it offers a platform for a wide range of international artistic positions and activities outside of the commercial mainstream.
Deutscher Fotobuchpreis is an annual competition that has existed since 1975 and has been organized by Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart (Stuttgart Media University) since 2017. A top-class jury awards the best photobooks from more than 200 submissions from German-language publishers and self-publishing projects by artists. They have been showcased as part of a special exhibition in the Forum für Fotografie in Cologne since 2011.
Dr. Bernd Fechner, photo expert and cultural manager, founded mohit.art together with Hannah Jacobi. mohit.art is a transnational network that promotes, initiates, facilitates, and supports virtual and live contemporary visual arts projects in Iran and Germany, as well as in neighbouring countries in the Middle Eastern region and beyond, and throughout Europe. Its mission is to enhance the cultural dialogue by consolidating continuous exchange and cooperation.
