World is a drawing board for Tehran and France artists

Art in the 21century is no longer confined to a paintbrush and a canvas. Globalisation and technology are manifesting themselves today in art in diverse ways.
Amirali Ghasemi, a curator, media artist and graphic designer from Tehran, feels that art today has redefined itself. "Anyone who looks at contemporary art will see traces of interdisciplinary practices. Diversifying can improve the quality and bring the content to a level that can connect with a broader audience ," says Ghasemi.
The change in art is also reflected in the change in artists who are diversifying to communicate with a large audience. "I was interested in illustration, drawing and photography from a young age. Later, I studied graphic design, made animation videos and got involved in performance in other media." he explains .
About the art scene in Tehran, Ghasemi says that there is a lot of interest and it is fashionable to study art. "The art market in Tehran is huge and more art works need to be produced to keep up with the demand," he says.
Just like art has gone through many changes, photography too has undergone metamorphosis. Laurent Pernot, photographer and multimedia artist from France and winner of the SAM Prize for contemporary art by the SAM Art Projects in 2010, feels that having an access to diverse areas can help a photographer communicate better . Says Pernot, "I started with photography, experimented with video installations and now work on creating spaces where the viewer can physically interact with the work. Ideas are most important. Irrespective of the media, ideas enable the artist to communicate with the audience." Pernot, who has a background in photography, feels that travelling has played an important part in opening his mind to ideas.
"Travel is important for a student to compare ideas, learn new things," adds Pernot. He believes that artists/photographers must learn the basics first. "Students can experiment if they know the basics. Art cares about anything that is in one's mind. Who knows the future of art could even be in robotics," he says.
As told to Aaditi Isaac