Tehran, a city known for the hustle and bustle of modern life, has recently unveiled a new dimension: a platform for experiencing beauty and reimagining artistic identity. This transformation is not only evident in established venues such as the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and the long lines for the “Eye to Eye” exhibition but also in the burgeoning of art galleries and cultural events. These changes have turned Tehran into a hub for modern aesthetics, where architecture, art, and everyday life find meaning through interaction.

While wandering through the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art recently, my eyes fell upon a fabric bag that read: “You are no longer the same after experiencing art.” (1) I thought: what an intriguing idea! But is it true? Or more precisely: does encountering art, music, literature, and all that we consider culture make us better humans? And is the experience of the beautiful confined to the walls of museums and galleries?

Hume in Modern Museums: Bridging Beauty and Morality

Can a Van Gogh painting inspire me to donate to charity? Or a Beethoven symphony encourage me to recycle?

According to Enlightenment thinker David Hume, art can make humans more moral. Hume suggested that moral ugliness—for example, vices and improper behavior—stems from an inability to appreciate beauty or, as he called it, a lack of “delicacy of taste.” Those devoid of this delicacy fail to recognize moral beauty and are drawn to ethical ugliness. They overlook the beauty in the lines on a soldier’s face and remain blind to the ugliness of cruel words. In other words, much of what is wrong in society arises from an inability to discern true beauty, and the remedy lies in cultivating taste—enhancing appreciation for what is genuinely beautiful. This was true in Hume’s 18th-century Britain and remains so in our society today.

If Hume were to view 21st-century museums, he would likely see them as modern temples built to nurture human emotions and enhance moral judgment. He believed art had the power to compel audiences to reflect on their lives, values, and behaviors. But the question remains: does this impact persist in today’s world, with its sweeping social changes and challenges?

In the contemporary era, museums are no longer just spaces for displaying art; they have become places for dialogue, education, and inspiration. A museum might use a specific piece, like a Van Gogh painting or a Beethoven symphony, to convey a message beyond mere beauty.

However, art’s impact today depends on various factors. Education is one such factor. Understanding and analyzing art requires awareness, and only then can its moral message be fully grasped. Technology plays a dual role: on the one hand, digital media offers widespread access to art, amplifying its message to millions; on the other hand, the overload of information and superficial consumption may dilute art’s depth. Despite changes in tools and circumstances, art’s power to evoke emotions and shape ethics endures. What matters is how this power is harnessed: can museums, galleries, and cultural institutions use innovative methods to transform art into a bridge connecting us with human and social values?

The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art could serve as an intermediary space where artistic beauty becomes a tool for critical thinking and moral awakening. Encountering works by Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Francis Bacon, or celebrated Iranian artists like Kamal-ol-Molk, Bahman Mohasses, and Marcos Grigorian offers not just an aesthetic experience but also an opportunity to rethink values and social responsibilities. By linking art to everyday and social issues, the museum can foster a discourse that elevates beauty from mere visual pleasure to an ethical question: how can we remain indifferent when confronted with beauty? Through innovative display methods and interactive educational programs, the museum can play a pivotal role in cultivating “delicacy of taste”—a quality Hume deemed essential for moral and social advancement.

“Museumation” of Art or the Beautiful in the Everyday

In the history of aesthetic thought, art and beauty have often been confined to specific domains such as museums, galleries, and concert halls. This separation, referred to as the “museumation of art,” has not only restricted aesthetic experiences to formal spaces but also profoundly influenced how we perceive beauty and its role in daily life. The concept of museumation originates from a modern view of art as an object isolated from everyday life. This perspective removes art from the flow of daily routines, placing it in specialized and often inaccessible spaces. In this view, beauty is considered rare and extraordinary, to be experienced only in specific environments. While this approach highlights the value of art as a cultural phenomenon, it overlooks its broader impact on ordinary life.

This historical separation has distanced art from public life and limited aesthetic experiences to rare moments. Yet, beauty can be found in many aspects of daily life. For instance, a moment of silence amid the chaos, the reflection of light on a surface, or even a casual conversation can contain aesthetic values.

Contrary to the museum perspective, some theories of everyday aesthetics argue that aesthetic experiences should not be confined to special moments or specific spaces. These approaches seek beauty in ordinary interactions and environments, emphasizing that beauty lies not in prominence but in the continuous interplay between humans and their surroundings. Imagination plays a critical role here, enabling individuals to see beyond the surface of things and uncover deeper relationships among ordinary elements. This kind of imagination not only enriches aesthetic experiences but also encourages a more critical and constructive engagement with daily life.

In Tehran, the visibility of art in public spaces plays a vital role in bringing aesthetic experiences into everyday life. Unlike the closed and formal settings of traditional museums and galleries, presenting art in urban public spaces—such as squares and street walls—liberates it from exclusive domains, making it accessible to all. Public art in Tehran, like street murals, reflects a move toward broader access to art, offering residents opportunities to experience aesthetics as an integral and tangible part of their environment.

This public presentation of art also creates a platform for social interactions and cultural dialogue. Venues like the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art or local galleries across the city redefine people’s relationships with art through spaces for discussion and participation. By hosting themed exhibitions, critique sessions, and art workshops, these spaces transform art from a passive concept into a dynamic, participatory experience. Particularly in a city like Tehran, which faces numerous cultural and social challenges, such initiatives can strengthen social cohesion and elevate the aesthetic literacy of its society. In this way, art evolves from a limited concept into an everyday, universal experience that is both inspiring and transformative.

Urban Art as Silent Resistance

Beauty is not an inherent quality but a subjective reaction shaped by individual experience. Urban art in Tehran, within the complex and contradictory context of a society undergoing significant social and political transformations, embodies this perspective. Murals and graffiti scattered across the city often operate outside formal frameworks, directly engaging with the emotions and beliefs of their audiences. These works rely not only on visual beauty but also on the moral sensibility that Hume considered a foundational component of aesthetic judgment.

Hume believed that beauty could awaken moral sensibilities, helping individuals distinguish virtue from vice. Tehran’s urban art fulfills this role as well. Each graffiti or mural provides an opportunity to reflect on social and cultural values. These works challenge existing social orders and illuminate hidden issues like inequality and political dissent, offering an aesthetic experience intertwined with ethical concerns. Implicitly, they compel us to ask: Do we bear a responsibility against injustice? Can we remain indifferent to these expressions of beauty?

Audience interaction with urban art involves a process of experience and interpretation, where moral and aesthetic judgments converge. In Tehran, this process occurs in public spaces, with art itself becoming a site of resistance. Urban art, by using beauty to provoke moral judgments, reminds audiences that beauty and ethics complement rather than conflict with each other. As Hume anticipated, these works go beyond mere visual experience, serving as tools for reflection and reevaluation of social values.

References:
“You are no longer the same after experiencing art.”
Cox, R. F. A., & van Klaveren, L. M. (2024). The embodied experience of abstract art: An exploratory study. Ecological Psychology, 36(2), 111–122.
Hume, D. (1985). A treatise of human nature (E. C. Mossner, Ed.). Penguin Classics.
Varutti, M. (2024). Awe in the museum: Casting light on the role of the curator. Museum Management and Curatorship, 1–17.