Parviz Tanavoli (Iranian, B. 1937)

Parviz Tanavoli's childhood landscape was adorned with ceramic. Ceramic was used on tiles, shrines, mosques and entrances to bazaars. Even in pre-water pipe Tehran- Tanavoli recalls large jugs outside people's homes used for water storage. Undoubtedly, Parviz Tanavoli has gained international acclaim as an artist with a signature style that is predominantly dedicated to bronze. However it is interesting to note that ceramic has been a medium he has experimented with throughout his practice. His ceramic work presents an inherently closer authentic dimension of an almost staple material of architecture in Iran. This work borrows from the Iranian tradition of illustration whilst its materiality offers a sense of timelessness. (from S. Sherrill & M. Sahabi (eds), Works of Parviz Tanavoli 2: Ceramics, Tehran, 2010)