Mehrshahr, Karaj
Fehrest’s story began with Merci, a café in Mehrshahr, Karaj, founded on an initiative by Mahyar and Amirali Hosseini and inspired by the atmosphere of Paris’s cafés and galleries. Merci was a space for sitting together, conversation, and experiencing the connection between art and everyday life. The design of the space, led by Sahar Shirazi, was part of this same outlook — an attention to color, form, and the details that give meaning to the experience of being in a place.
March–April 2024
This interest in art took a new shape in Farvardin 1403 (March–April 2024), with the opening of Merci Gallery under the direction of Sahar Shirazi. Alongside the café, the gallery offered a setting for exhibiting works and a closer encounter with contemporary art. The simplicity of the space kept attention on the works themselves, and the first exhibition — bringing together young and experienced artists — was a chance to see different generations and outlooks side by side.
Now
Now, after a pause in the gallery’s activity, this path continues under the name Fehrest. For us, Fehrest means choosing and placing things side by side: selecting works that each hold their own world, and that open up new readings when set alongside one another. Through introducing artists, telling the story behind works, and shaping curated collections and exhibitions, we want to build an ongoing sense of familiarity and connection with contemporary art. This chapter of Fehrest begins online, and currently has no physical space — with an eye toward a future that may also include other forms of exhibition, encounter, and conversation.