Cooperation of foreign publishers with Iranian illustrators is more cost-effective

A well-known Iranian illustrator believes that due to cultural commonalities between Iran and Western culture besides the suitable price of designing and illustrating in Iran, there appropriate potentialities for the formation of cooperation between Iranian illustrators and foreign publishers. Ali Miri, an Iranian illustrator who participates in Frankfort Book Fair, while referring to this pint that the cooperation of Iranian illustrators with foreign publishers is a useful interaction for both parties said: “In my idea, because of cheaper wages of Iranian illustrators in comparison with foreign illustrators that is due to the foreign currencies differences compared to Iran’s money unit, cooperation of foreign publishers with Iranian artists is useful and influential. On the other hand, Iranian illustrators also can receive beter wages if they work with foreign publishers. Meanwhile gaining positions with universal reputations causes Iranian artists welcome such incidents.” While saying this fact that the art of illustrating in Iran is like a mine full of valuable resources that just needs excavation, he added: “While it seems that the number of professional illustrators in Iran is less than their numbers in Western countries, the successful experiences of some of the Iranian illustrators prove this reality that if there is a cooperation atmosphere with foreign publishers for them and if a cultural trade between Iran and countries like Indonesian and Malaysia will be formed, considering the relative proximity of our culture with the culture of the West, we will witness brilliant consequences.” Miri, who has started his professional activity in the field of illustrating since 1993 further added: “East Asian countries like china and Japan have independent, formed cultures that are different from the common culture of West and the study of art history of this geographical region shows that in this area there is a high resistance against the acceptance of exotic cultures and even in a case of penetration of a country’s culture in there, it had been localized to a large degree and had been influenced by Eastern culture. But Iran during its cultural transactions particularly in story writing, cinema and illustrating became close to West and for formation and reinforcement of such cooperation, It needs to prepare the backgrounds with the suitable short term and long term programs first internally and then in international dimensions. This Iranian illustrator in an answer to this question that what capabilities and facilities Iranian publishing industry can provide for foreign publishers explained: “During the post-war (Imposed Iraq war against Iran) and the construction years we witnessed a gradual cultural change and promotion of art position in Iran’s society. The numbers of the graduated people in fields related to illustrating and empirical illustrators increased remarkably and as this imbalanced the demand and supply of Iran’s illustrating market, finding job opportunities become harder for Iranian illustrators day by day. On this condition, this opportunity is available for foreign publishers that transact with Iranian artists with right approaches and gain profits. In fact, this domain, brilliant diamonds are hidden under a small layer of the ground of ignorance and lack of supply that we just need to put this layer aside and utilize these diamond a lot. Miri by referring to one of the problems of illustrating in Iran said: “Unfortunately, one of the concerns in the art of illustrating is that people did not come to this stage of believing that ‘thought’ is of the main assets for economy improvement and it can and must turn to a quantitative value. In fact, if someone uses his thoughts, he/she has to be paid for them and this is the point that is accepted in West for a long time and is institutionalized as common society believes. When this belief is formed that economic development needs mental assets and ideas of original thinkers, creativity, and knowledge and this believe that these thoughts and Ideas enjoy intellectual and financial rights, we can hope that the basics for art and culture developments are prepared. Not having a union, repetition of legal problems, not having the copyright law in Iran leads to this condition that most of the artists because of not having job security and many other problems focus on stabilizing their positions rather than dealing with creativity. In answer to this question that what achievements establishing of Children and adolescents’ books illustrating wall (a wall on which illustrators present their works) in 2 recent holdings of Tehran International Book Fair are, said: “It was an action that had to be done. In my opinion, the least achievement of that was the fact that publishers, people in charge, heads of media and other people related to the industry of publication encountered the will of illustrators in this direct and serious form. This action is also valuable from this point of view that it was done without routine formalities and by illustrators themselves and in a very short period of time that made the people in charge of illustrators’ problems think. This wall also assisted some illustrators to be able to show their works and to enter themselves in a more professional atmosphere in this field and even it caused cooperation with foreign publishers indirectly.” Finally, Miri pointed out: “In my opinion, in coming years, the illustrating part of Tehran Book Fair can be held with exerting more criteria on the works and in a more comprehensive and formal ways.”