ArtDayMe : The recent 12-day war delivered a heavy blow to Mojdeh Gallery,Tehran.

Just as Mojdeh Tabatabaei, director of Mojdeh Art Gallery,Tehran and Azim Morakabatchi, the gallery’s featured artist, were en route to Imam Khomeini International Airport to attend the VOLTA Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland, war suddenly erupted. Israel’s 12-day military assault on Iran forced the cancellation of their trip.

Recently, Mojdeh Art Gallery addressed the matter in an official statement published on its Instagram page:

"Over the past few months, Mojdeh Gallery had been preparing intensively for participation in the VOLTA Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland. The fair commenced on June 17, 2025, with a central theme of 'Humanity'.

Galleries and artists from across the globe participated in this event. In the Middle East section, known as 'MENA', Mojdeh Gallery stood as the sole representative of Iran, presenting a research-based exhibition built on a comparative study by our esteemed artist, Azim Morakabatchi.

Morakabatchi’s collection, titled ‘The Last 89 Seconds’, focused profoundly on fundamental human concerns, depicting the closing moments of the world as we know it.

'The final seconds'—because, under the weight of wars, conflict, and the injustice inflicted upon the Earth by contemporary humanity—there is little left of the doomsday clock.

With all logistics and preparations complete, the Mojdeh Gallery team, alongside Morakabatchi, was scheduled to depart for Switzerland in the late hours of June 13.

Yet, only hours before departure, the war broke out.

A war that reduced all our efforts and hopes for this art fair to ashes. All that remained of us at VOLTA was an empty booth, which—after the organizers were informed of our absence—was reduced in size to the extent possible.

As the plans had been finalized long before, Mona Mobarakshahi, Morakabatchi’s wife, had traveled ahead of the team to join us at the fair. As a result, Mojdeh Gallery’s empty booth was adorned solely with our poster and brochure, displayed by dear Mona amidst the dark days of war back in Iran.

Though the exhibition never reached its intended destination, we believe it delivered its message to the world—a message that ultimately mirrored the fate it sought to portray.

Now, perhaps, the number in the exhibition’s title should be revised. We are undoubtedly dealing with fewer than 89 seconds.

Be warned: the doomsday clock’s hand has once again been pushed back—before it even had the chance to be seen."