Locally-based guest curator Pantea Haghighi joins collector Elmar Seibel for a tour and discussion of Looking at Persepolis: The Camera in Iran, 1850-1930. The exhibition showcases rarely-seen historical photographs of excavations at Takht-e-Jamshid, known as the ancient city of Persepolis and reveals the quick adoption of the camera in Iran, and the important role early photographs of the ruins of Persepolis played in identifying the rapidly modernizing nation with the splendour of ancient Persia.

The exhibition draws primarily from the private collection of Azita Bina and Elmar W. Seibel. Guest curator and gallerist Pantea Haghighi also recently curated Modernism in Iran: 1958-1978 at Griffin Art Projects, North Vancouver and where / between, a touring exhibition of contemporary art by Iranian artists.

This presentation is part of The Polygon Gallery’s new exhibition series New Perspectives: revealing diverse perspectives, untold stories, and new voices in visual art.

Image: Hans Wichart von Busse, Apadana stairway relief of Medes and Persians, Persepolis, circa 1930s; collection of Azita Bina and Elmar W. Seibel