She had us at first glance! San Francisco-based Iranian-American artist, Taravat Talepasand, has the ability to create the kind of art that makes you incapable of passing by her pieces without feeling the need to stop and stare–trying to figure out what she’s trying to tell you. Her aesthetic is not only provocative and sexy…It’s [...]

On April 27th, 1986, HBO’s scheduled programming was interrupted unexpectedly.  A message appeared saying, “Good Evening HBO, from Captain Midnight. $12.95/month? No Way [Showtime/Movie Channel Beware]”.  It is now referred to as the Captain Midnight Incident, when John R. MacDougall decided to protest increased television fees for satellite viewers.  He hijacked HBO’s signal and projected [...]

Washington, DC–Marking the 30-year anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s existence and reign in Iran, the year 2009 went by…well, fast. The summer of 2009, not so much. The Iranian election–which took the world by shock with its results and brutal force used on Iranian citizens by government-led orders–began in June and lasted throughout the summer: Most [...]

Candlestar is delighted to present photographs by Iranian artist Fataneh Dadkhah. Fataneh Dadkhah is a pioneer of stage-photography as an artistic discipline in Iran. She has documented the rebirth of Iranian theatre since the 1979 revolution, and in 1983 she published Theatre Photography, in association with the Dramatic Arts Centre in Iran. Since 2001 Dadkhah [...]

Beat out by the Irish, Australians, and Canadians–respectively–Iranians made Opentravel’s “5 friendliest nations on the planet” list, ranking an appreciable and healthy placement as shomaareh (number) 4. We can’t really complain. We have to agree with Opentravel’s decision to include the Irish and their naturally happy faces (albeit due to overintoxification), on the list. But to give them the [...]

In addition to singing with Freedom Glory Project–a band he co-founded with members of the Iranian band, Hypernova–Johnny B. sings and writes for his own band, Electric Black.  I caught Electric Black live at the launch party for their new CD, on the Lower East Side at Rockwood Music Hall in  Manhattan.  Seeing Johnny B. [...]

CrystalCruises wants to take you on a “journey into the heart of ancient lands, where the Persian, Greek, Egyptian, Roman and Ottoman empires once ruled the world, and monuments to their great legacies still stand,” via their cruise, World Voyage IV: Middle East Mystique. Share

BY MAHBOD SERAJI As the 40th day of Neda’s death was commemorated in Iran a few days ago, and [I learned] that a staggering number of 4,000 people were detained in protests that followed June’s disputed presidential election, I was reminded of my years there as a high school student just before the Islamic Revolution [...]