TEHRAN -- Tehran’s Etemad Gallery plans to showcase a collection of paintings entitled “Wonders of the World” by Canada-based Iranian sculptor and painter Parviz Tanavoli next week.
“Works in this collection have been created on severed pages of old books,” he told the Persian service of ISNA on Sunday.
He had bought the pages about 15 years ago at a flea market, which was held weekly on Fridays.
“I was impressed by the beauty of the inscriptions written in fine calligraphy… I decided to have my share of these beautiful pages for the memories,” Tanavoli said.
The inscriptions on the margins of the pages remain and the paintings have been created on written matters in the main part of the pages.
He said that the collection comprises 20 paintings, which present images of his sculptures.
A book by the same title, which has recently been released by the Bongah Publishing Company, is scheduled to be unveiled at the opening ceremony of the exhibition on November 9.
“The winters in Vancouver and their long nights were the best time for creating these paintings,” he said in a preface for the book.
The show will run until November 20 at the gallery located at 4 Bukan St. off Sadeqi Qomi St., near Yasser Square in the Niavaran neighborhood.
Tanavoli is famous mostly for his series of works entitled “Heech” depicting the Persian word “heech” (nil). His “Heech in the Cage” is on display at the British Museum.
The 75-year-old artist was a founding member of Saqqakhaneh, an artistic movement that began in Iran during the 1960s. This movement sought to integrate popular symbols of Shia Muslim culture in art.
Lovers in the Persian literature, locks, walls, cages and cypress trees are the main themes of his collections of works.
Tanavoli is also the author of “Kohl Box”, “Talisman, Iran’s Traditional Graphic Art” (also known as “Talisman and the Occult Arts”), “The Tacheh of Chaharmahal”, “Rustic and Tribal Weaves from Varamin”, “The Sofreh of Kamo”, “Riding in Splendor: Horse and Camel”, “Trappings from Tribal Iran”, “Locks from Iran”, “Ceramics” and several other publications.
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