CHAPTER 2:THE RESTAURANT
First move, an exhibition in a restaurant
To put this idea into practice, in the first move, with the cooperation of his new teammate Hojjat Amani, Behzad Mortazavi collected artworks by artists in various fields of art (painting, calligraphy, gilding, sculpture, needlework, pottery, cashmere embroidery, etc.) to put on show in a restaurant. The restaurant manager was Ashkan Khatibi, a friend of Behzad during his studies, with whom they collaborated in some plays; And as Behzad thought, he understood the purpose of the project.
The reason Behzad had for his work was that restaurant guests spend a fair amount of time at the restaurant; considering the fact that while eating with family or friends, they clear their minds of the daily worries and relax themselves, if they are exposed and introduced to artworks at this appropriate time, they may be inclined to buy them. Therefore, along with the food menu, they also provided them with a brochure of the exhibited works, so that in addition to selecting their food, they would also pay for a work of art.
Due to the large space of the restaurant, they collected about 40 works, from paintings and sculptures to traditional artworks and handicrafts.
To do this, they first needed to inform the artists about the purpose of the move, so that in addition to getting their approval to let their works be display at a non-artistic environment, they would trust them to give them their works on loan. In addition, they persuaded them to put lower prices on their works, unlike the higher prices given in art galleries, so that the first move in the economic aspect would bear fruit, although they themselves were not after income and profit at this stage.
Moreover, they had to prepare the restaurant for the complete and correct presentation of the works of art and equip it with proper lighting and other necessary accessories, so that the main purpose, which was to present the artworks, would be realized. The exquisite brochure of the works was also prepared and printed, among other things.
After six months of preparations, on a glorious night and in the presence of the artists who created the works and other guests, the exhibition was opened and was well received. The next day, the press covered the exhibition, and the audience of the exhibition and the restaurant guests merged, leaving a good memory of the move.
The exhibition lasted for three months and was visited by dozens of people, and about 10 works were purchased by visitors. Behzad doubts if there had been such an experience in other parts of the world until then, but he is sure it was the first of its kind in Iran.
