The press is seen as dangerous and in need of controls. This 'cultural invasion' has been curbed to a degree through the banning of satellite dishes and discos, and the imposition of a clothing code for women. War Sport and the media are not the only subjects depicted in the exhibition. Recently, Ayatollah Khamenei urged the country's artists to depict the war which lasted eight years and cost more than a million lives. Soldiers, he said, had already done theirs.
Murals depicting the martyrs of the war now cover the streets of Iran.
During the 1970s, the petrol industry boomed and resources were channelled into arts. Gallery spaces were established. Iranian artists were able to experiment with the latest Western artistic trends and developments. Artists combined modern features with elements taken from Iran's 5,000 year-old cultural heritage. A complex artistic legacy, it spanned a history in the making of textiles, metalwork, ceramics, poetry, calligraphy, painting and architecture.