Gianna Vaughan

"Iran isn't falling...it's standing up," reported twitter on June 22, in a fusion of modern technology and the traditional Iranian talent for language. It is this complex hybrid that lies at the heart of Made in Iran, which opened on Tuesday at the Asia House. This first collaboration between curators Eglantine de Ganay and Arianne Levene, seeks not to make a blatant political, or even artistic point, but rather to explore modern Iranian identity, freed from the narrow Western focus on repression and political Islam.

The seven contemporary artists featured were selected from among sixty and it is their own gut feelings about this process of discovery, that Eglantine and Arianne ultimately wished to convey. Disarmingly glamorous and charmingly enthusiastic, the two curators have put together a collection which deliberately underplays the politics that inevitably influences Iranian artistic work, but does not define it. Rather than bombarding the viewer with polemics, the pieces are allowed to subtly assert themselves as both humorous and beautiful, yet somehow uncomfortable.

All the artists featured choose to live and work in Tehran, drawing inspiration from the ironies of daily life trapped between the restrictive lumbering apparatus of the State and the inspirations of an extraordinarily rich cultural heritage. Taking the time-honoured practice of Persian carpet making, the blue prints of Nazgol Ansarinia inject traditional motifs with scenes of modernity. These exquisitely beguiling patterns forcefully champion the dynamic contemporary art scene that has emerged in Iran, subverting Western assumptions of "backwardness".

With a nod to Tehran's lesser known distinction of being the city with the highest rhinoplasty rates in the world, Shirin Aliabadi's images cheekily depict how the world of feminine cosmetics can be transformed into acts of cultural rebellion. Appearing like housewives from 60s commercials for baked goods, the portraits seem to mock a Western artistic scene that still draws so heavily on pop-art but considers itself more advanced. Continuing the emphasis on individuality, Peyman Hooshmandzadeh's entertaining series, photographs subjects through their car windshields. He comically captures how Iranians use internal spaces to develop a unique sense of self within a controlled environment and thus mounts a powerful challenge to the hypothesis that contemporary art requires a critical air space.

Born in the year of the revolution Behrouz Rae chose to stay in Iran even after his mother moved to the US. In a touching attempt to stay connected to her, he superimposed his own image into the postcards she sent to him, revealing the sense of diaspora felt by so many young Iranians. His Gulliver series is a clever and strangely beautiful response to the struggle to reconcile the modern Iranian preoccupation with the Western world with a determined appreciation of their own cultural singularity.

This gracefully understated show both reveals the complexity of Iran, and allows visitors to acknowledge and appreciate the high quality of art emerging from the turbulent nation. It combats the hackneyed notion of otherness by appearing both obstinately modern, in a manner clearly recognisable to the Western world, and traditionally Iranian.

Perhaps it was the profligate champagne, perhaps the agony of the sky high heels, or the embarrassment of seeing a higher standard of work than most of this year's London degree shows has produced, which left the glittering crowd a little dewy-eyed. But just perhaps, it was the hopeful message that lies behind the work of these talented artists.