21 April - 04 October 2015
The Whitechapel Gallery

The Whitechapel Gallery presents a new archive display which documents the history of the Festival of Arts Shiraz-Persepolis, a ground-breaking international arts festival held around Shiraz, Iran, every summer from 1967–1977. 
 

To hear a talk on this exhibition by Vali Mahlouji, click here. 

The ancient Persian ruins of Persepolis were a spectacular backdrop for ‘one of the most adventurous and idiosyncratic festivals in the world’ (Artforum). A melting pot of Asian, African and international avant-garde music, theatre and performance, the festival featured artists, including, sitar player Ravi Shankar, shahnai player Bismillah Khan and American composer John Cage, alongside Rwandan drummers and Balinese Gamelan musicians and dancers. Orghast, a play by poet Ted Hughes and Mahin Tajadod, co-directed by Peter Brook, was staged, while Merce Cunningham’s dancers performed calisthenics among the ruins of Persepolis.

The exhibition was curated by Vali Mahlouji in association with The Whitechapel Gallery.