Exclusive | Iranian father and daughter brave long journey to HK for art and cultural exchange

Exclusive

2026.08.25 12:15

For Iranian young artist Mahshid Ghasemi Kahrizsangi, getting to Hong Kong to attend the award ceremony for an international art competition was far from an easy journey.

Accompanied by her father, Mahshid travelled from Iran via Tehran and Istanbul before arriving in HK. The journey took around 16 hours, while visa difficulties added another hurdle.

Mahshid said the family was grateful to the organizers and friends who helped them secure the necessary visas and make the trip possible.

"It's been too long for us, but we like it," she said. "Because we know we're coming somewhere that we can connect with people from another country with our hearts."

Mahshid has been drawing since she was three years old. Her father recalled how she would paint on paper, walls and almost anything she could find before later attending painting classes and receiving professional art training.

Her artwork has now travelled far beyond Iran, becoming part of the inaugural "National Treasures" Drawing Competition & International Cultural Exchange, organized by the Shine Tak Foundation.

The competition, themed around "national treasures", brings together young people from different countries to portray their own cultural heritage through art while learning about other cultures.

For Mahshid, the significance of the journey goes beyond the competition itself.

"All cultures are our art," she said, expressing her hope that people around the world can live in peace despite their differences.

Government representatives, organizers, young award winners and their parents from 13 countries are in HK from Aug. 23 to 27 for the award ceremony and a series of cultural exchange activities, including technology experiences, Chinese culture programmes and rule-of-law education.

For Mahshid and her father, the long journey has ultimately become an opportunity to connect with people from another part of the world—through a painting that carries a piece of Iran with it.