Here’s a look at five artworks in the show:

Fire Within

Graphically striking, Scheherazade Showleh’s painting is of a statue found in the ruins of Persepolis, itself a portrait of King Solomon’s raptor Simurgh. The flying creature is found all over Greater Iranian art and literature, stretching back to medieval Armenia and the Byzantine Empire, and has witnessed the destruction of the world three times over, according to legend.

Streets I

The second of these two detail-rich street paintings by Fakhreddin Jamali looks oddly and endearingly like the twostorey historical buildings of central Old Strathcona. The first image takes us to a walled and mysterious Iran where the people are dressed in beautiful head scarves, the men in blazers, and everyone seems to be moving with purpose.

A True Human Is My Desire

For the most abstract of the works and certainly two of the most beautiful on the wall, Setareh Minoofar mixes Farsi calligraphy with fabric and gold leaf. “By incorporating ancient cultural elements I intend to refer to my cultural roots as an Iranian artist,” she notes straightforwardly.

Nostalgia

Typifying Iranian architecture, this closed door is nonetheless inviting, especially as the pretty flowers trickle down from the top. “Moreover,” says its artist Nayer Dehdashtian, “the colour of the door reflects the choice of colour prevalent in traditional Iranian art and architecture.”

Mount Damavand at Fall

On the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and the highest peak in the Middle East at 5670 metres, Mount Damavand last erupted around 7,300 years ago. It is populated with red sheep, brown bears and even the odd leopard. Turning white in the winter snows, the mountain is also a symbol of Iranian resistance to despotism. Painting by Maryam Behzad.