She adds that, as in many restrictive regimes, it's a game of sorts. The Iranian government isn't dumb: it realises that, just as it's impossible to control what every artist is making, there are benefits to giving culture a degree of latitude. "It's give and take. I think they've realised after 43 years that they cannot stop the flow of art – it's so important in Iran. If they increase restrictions, the result may be that art will go underground, where it will be hard to monitor. So better to have it in view, in a way."
