The Craft & Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) and Farhang Foundation present “Focus Iran 2: Contemporary Photography and Video,” an exhibit running from Sunday, Jan. 29 through Sunday, May 7.

The exhibit is the second biennial juried exhibition of contemporary photography and video works about Iranian culture and heritage. It features works by emerging and mid-career artists from around the world who offer diverse perspectives on contemporary Iranian life.

The group exhibition includes works by 36 photographs, and eight video works. An opening reception will be held on Jan. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The international jury panel selected artists in Iran, the United States, Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. “Focus Iran 2” democratizes the art form of image making by giving novices and professionals an equal opportunity to offer visions of Iran from inside and outside the country.

The exhibit provides a rare collection of perspectives from citizen journalists, personal archivists and vernacular storytellers who are connected to Iran by heritage or deeply felt admiration.

“The Craft & Folk Art Museum has historically valued the promotion of cross-cultural understanding through our exhibitions and programs, and in an era where xenophobic rhetoric has taken center stage we feel that our partnership with the Farhang Foundation has taken on a new urgency,” said CAFAM executive director Suzanne Isken.

“It has been an immense pleasure to once again join forces with the visionary Craft & Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles to create a platform that will help showcase works of international artists exploring themes of Iranian heritage and culture,” said Farhang Foundation Fine Arts Council chair Amir Angha. “Focus Iran has now developed into a well-established biennial resulting in an inclusive and diverse body of work selected by a world-renowned jury panel of experts. We are thrilled to be able to once again share these great works with the entire Southern California community.”

CAFAM is located at 5814 Wilshire Blvd. For information, visit cafam.org.