International Congress of Aesthetics 2007 “Aesthetics Bridging Cultures” Video Art as a Rising Medium in Iranian Contemporary Art Susan Habib, Assistant Professor, IAU, Tafresh Campus, Iran Helia Darabi, Researcher, Iran Introduction While video was establishing itself in the art context in the 1960s, viewers' perceptions had already accustomed to cinema and moving pictures for more than half a century. The first filming camera came to Iran in 1901, only a few years after Europe and the USA. Yet the first public show of a movie in the country took place as long as 30 years later. First TV sets and television programs met Iranian audiences in the 1950s. 1 It was at the end of the 1970s that video players found their place beside TV sets in homes, yet strict prohibitions against possessing and carrying videos and video tapes for a period after the revolution (1979) and years of the war with Iraq (1980-1988) might be a factor in the tardiness of prevalence of this novel art in Iran. The following years brought relatively open political circumstances, less economical pressures and easier importation of art books and magazines which together had considerable influences on obtaining and broadening knowledge in different fields of art. It goes without saying that communications through the worldwide web, internet and satellite channels and their daily use have left certain impressions on all fields including the arts. Despite the fact that Iranian Video artists' initial experiences were with analogue systems, the outset of Video art in Iran can be considered almost synchronous with the popular use of digital video cameras, computers and visual software. Since Video depends upon the current state of technological development or usage more than almost any other artistic medium, it took some time for the young generation of Iranian artists to become accustomed to this situation and begin to take advantage of the medium. Accordingly, Iranian cinema receives its first international awards in the 1960s and Video art in the first decade of the 21 st century. A Short Glance at Iranian Contemporary Art Iran has undergone radical political and socio-cultural changes since the beginning of the 20 th century. The Iranian Constitutional Revolution between 1905 and 1911 and the years before that are known as the first formation of a conflict between tradition and modernity. This Revolution was the first event of its kind in the Middle East and led to the establishment of a parliament in Iran. The system of constitutional Monarchy, the dissolution of the Qajar dynasty, the ascension of Reza Shah Pahlavi to the throne, two World Wars and the role of Iran as the "Bridge to Victory" in ending the second World