About

BAZAR Art Books is an Iran-based platform for exhibition and distribution of art books. Founded in 2018 by artists Ronak Moshtaghi and Hedieh Ahmadi, the project approaches self-publishing and art book fairs as a great format for creating an inclusive community-based cultural life where everyone brings something to the table and makes the party run.

Bazar is an artist-run and independent platform that depends on the volunteer work of its community and the collaboration of different host venues. To see the organizing team of each event, please look at the related page.

Bazar’s activities include:

Bazars: BAZAR Art Books is a three-day-long event that seeks to establish an inclusive community of artists, publishers, and audiences that allows them to exhibit and trade their publications independently. Artists whose works focus on using various forms of publishing as an artistic medium are invited to participate and display their works either individually or collectively at their tables.                                                                                                     

International Presence: Aside from organizing our own event, one of the main goals for BAZAR Art Books has been to participate in international art book fairs for the distribution of locally conceived and produced publications. This is especially important for BAZAR as it is offering an accessible distribution platform for artists in Iran.

Creating and Maintaining Local Archives: From its onset, BAZAR has sought to collect and maintain a curated archive of artist books, relevant publications, and resources in its library. Bazar’s archive is occasionally set up for exhibition.

Workshops: While artbooks are the main concepts that have brought together all parties involved in BAZAR, its founders, affiliates, and network of artists and publishers share a significant interest and enthusiasm for the arts of printing, binding, and bookmaking. This has led to BAZAR’s hosting of many workshops around Iran on the art of bookmaking in various institutions, schools, and universities.

Bazar Reading Room: is an art bookshop located in the center of Tehran, where you can either buy or just go through a growing collection of local and international art publications. The shop is open on Saturday to Wednesday (except Monday) from 4 to 8 p.m., and it also hosts a series of book lunches and events related to self-publishing and book making.