BRUSSELS.- BOZAR and the Goethe-Institut invite visitors to discover the work of twelve European and Iranian artists in the framework of HerMap (Cultural Heritage Management Project), a 5-year artistic research residency programme focusing on the protection and enhancement of Iran's tangible and intangible cultural heritage by creating new ways to encourage its discovery, perception and dissemination in close collaboration with local artists and communities.

HerMap finds a natural outlet in the cross-disciplinary nature of BOZAR. The results of the residency are translated into different activities accessible to the public:

• An exhibition that brings together 7 projects by 12 artists in residence

• A digital platform that constitutes an essential integration of the content and the experience of visiting the exhibition;

• Two days of online webinars about cultural heritage;

• An online screening of a film by Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.

Because of the pandemic, the residency and the resulting exhibition had to be transformed, both for the artists and for the public. The artists, some of whom are part of the Iranian diaspora living in Europe, were able to carry out their research by giving instructions to the teams of supporters and collaborators on site in Iran. For example, by travelling to the south of Tehran to visit the Rayy cement factory, a valuable piece of industrial heritage (read about the history of this abandoned factory, which has been transformed into a living archive, in RADAR, BOZAR’S online magazine).




In a collective effort between the artists, the documentation and research team and the German Embassy in Iran, a digital platform has been developed to present the artworks and research conducted during the residency. The digital platform https://hermapartprojects.org/ is available from 4 May.

By presenting a general overview of the artistic residency, the physical exhibition in Foyer 4 of the Centre for Fine Arts has the effect of inviting the visitor to explore the projects presented on the online platform. By means of QR codes that link directly to the site's pages, visitors are invited to virtually complete their discovery experience.

In the room, screens on the wall present the seven projects of the artists in residence. Each screen summarises the concept on which the project is based and presents visual elements of the project as well as the biographies of the artists involved. In the middle of Foyer 4, a triptych with screens shows a looped video that presents the general context of HerMap.

Cofunded by: European Union

In the framework of: HerMap Iran-Cultural Heritage Management Project
Co-production: the Heritage Management Organization-HERITAGE, Goethe-Institut

Artists in residence: Abel Korinsky (DE) with Orhan Kavrakoglu (TR) / Alice Pedroletti (IT) with Andrea Familari (IT) / Arya Arabshahi (IR) / Aron Rossman-Kiss (HU) / Ehsan Hemat (IR) / Goda Palekaite (LT) / Love Di Marco (SW) / Saba Ghorbanalinejad (IR) / Sina Seifee (IR) / Timothée Gauvin (FR)

Iranian collaborators: Amirali Ghasemi / Maryam Niazadeh / Hadi Zand / Amin Yousefi / Raha Faridi / Ehsan Barati - Parnian Tousi / Shaghayegh Kamyar

Research & documentation: Aroosha Moshtagh / Bahar Ahmadifard / Siavash Naghshbandi / Fereshteh Assadzadeh / Azadeh Behkish / Mahoor Mirshakak