Over 400 works to go on show at intl. Persian calligraphy biennial

TEHRAN,May 6(MNA) -- The city of Qazvin will be hosting the Second International Biennial of Calligraphy next week, in which 409 works are taking part. The works will be displayed in the competition and non-competition sections, Director of the Policymaking Council Mahmud Shaluii said here on Saturday. A total of 246 works by veterans and masters of calligraphy are selected for the exhibition section, he said, adding that 163 will be vying in the competition section. Several guests from different countries are also expected at the opening ceremony, secretary of the biennial Mohammad-Hossein Shafieiha said. The event is commemorating the name of master of shekasteh nastaliq Abdolmajid Taleqani this year. Abdolmajid Taleqani (1737-1717) was a great master of shekasteh nastaliq in the history of Persian calligraphy. He achieved a high position in calligraphy during his short life and is now buried in Isfahan. Works by master Taleqani will go on show during the program, while a seminar on the life and works of the master will also be arranged on the side section, Shafieiha said. He added that the new section of Islamic Awakening is added this year, in which masters of calligraphy are invited to hold workshops. The Iranian Calligraphers Association, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Cultural Institute, and Qazvin Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance are among the cosponsors of the event. Qazvin is the birthplace of calligrapher Mohammad ibn Seyfi Qazvini (1553-1615) known as Mir-Emad who was the titan of the nastaliq script, a unique and ornate Iranian style of calligraphy. The city hosted the first biennial in 2010.