Shirazeh Houshiary’s large-scale, apparently abstract painting contains two words written in the Arabic script, repeated many times over the width of the canvas. Discover the details in this piece and the works of 22 other contemporary artists from Iran in the Aga Khan Museum’s world-premiere exhibition “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians,” closing this Sunday, June 4, 2017.

Shiva Ahmadi’s lavishly ornamented “Oil Barrel #13” makes a connection between the lust for oil and the logic of war. Discover the details in this piece and the works of 22 other contemporary artists from Iran in the Aga Khan Museum’s world-premiere exhibition “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians,” closing this Sunday, June 4, 2017.

“What you see in the exhibition is not what you see. You see beauty, but look closer and you will discover pungent messages hidden in nooks and crannies everywhere. You will find what is on the minds of these Persians.” — Dr. Fereshteh Daftari, Curator There’s more to art than what meets the eye. Discover the details in the work of Ali Banisadr and 22 other contemporary artists from Iran in the world-premiere exhibition “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians,” on display at the Aga Khan Museum until June 4, 2017.