The Victoria and Albert Museum has said its Epic Iran exhibition will offer a “fresh perspective” on the country.

The exhibition, covering 5,000 years of Iranian art, design and culture, opens in February.

V&A director Tristram Hunt said Iran “has undergone a total transformation” since the last major UK exhibition 90 years ago “and the cultural landscape has changed dramatically”.

Shirin Aliabadi’s photograph of a woman blowing bubblegum features in the exhibition (Estate of Shirin Aliabadi/PA)

He said: “Epic Iran will serve a vital purpose in enabling audiences in Britain to discover more about one of the world’s great historic civilisations and its incredible creative output in the 21st century.”

The exhibition will feature rarely-seen objects dating back to 3200 BC as well as current work.

It will include more than 300 objects from ancient, Islamic and contemporary Iran, including sculpture, ceramics and carpets and “offer a fresh perspective on a country that is so often seen through a different lens in the news,” the V&A said.

– Epic Iran opens at the V&A on February 13, with tickets going on sale from Tuesday December 15