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Rybon Art Center was an international, independent, and artist-led institute based in Tehran, Iran. It was founded in 2008 by Tooraj Khamenehzadeh, with Reza Farnam and Mohammad Shishechiha joining as founding members shortly thereafter. Two years later, Negin Mahzoun and Hamed Jaberha became part of the center. Over time, other contributors played important roles in shaping Rybon’s activities, including Arvin Ilbeigi, Janan Nozari, and Amin Bagheri.
Rybon Art Center operated with the notion of collectivity as its core and evolved over the years, undertaking numerous initiatives such as art residencies, local and international artist workshops, art shares, artist talks, screenings, strengthening local art networks, and facilitating international art exchanges. The center also had a close partner, Rybon Doc, founded by Amir Hossein Sanaei, which focused on Iranian documentary cinema. [1]
Rybon started its first residency projects in collaboration with local artistic and cultural institutes, inviting established artists from neighboring countries. Holding Rybon International Artists’ Workshop based on Triangle workshops in 2012 in collaboration with Mohsen Gallery and Darbast Platform in Tehran was another step toward establishing residency culture. [2]
Impediments for holding international residencies lead to devising a new form of residency, namely exchange programs, by Rybon. The first of these exchange programs was held in 2013 in collaboration with Organhaus Art Space of China and Mohsen Gallery in Tehran and Chongqing, China. At the present the “Exchange Program” is being successfully practiced as a pivotal part of Kooshk Residency programs. [3]
Rybon organized the Second Rybon International Artists's Workshop in 2016 based on Triangle workshops in collaboration with Kooshk Residency, deegar platform and Gasworks. This program aimed to gather artists from all around the world to discuss and look for the possibilities to exchange ideas and knowledge beyond the ethnic, regional and artistic boundaries. Five Asian, European and African artists, as well as five Iranian artists participated in this program. [4]