ROME, Italy: Let art be a vehicle of peace and understanding; this was the message that emerged from a meeting at the Palazzo dell'Informazione in Rome between Giuseppe Marra, president of the GMC-ADNKRONOS media group, and Abdel Ahmad Alemeri and Ziyad Turkey, two of the artists showcased in a rare exhibition of Iraqi contemporary art.

The exhibit - 'Mondo da Trovare', (a world to discover) - displays the work of 12 Iraqi artists selected by a commission of Italian art critics.

The venue is the evocative and symbolic Castel Sant'Angelo, a Roman mausoleum turned papal fortress near the Vatican.

The exhibition is organized by Adnkronos Comunicazione, and promoted by the Italian foreign ministry and Task Force Iraq, in cooperation with CVAS, the cultural organisation set up in Iraq after the March 2003 US-led invasion.

During the visit by the two Iraqis, one a photographer, one a painter, to Adnkronos International (AKI), Marra underlined the role that cultural ties can have in dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean and said he hoped that this initiative can spread understanding of Iraqi art and culture in Italy.