‘Moving to Canada wasn’t easy, especially for someone in my situation,’ recalls Parviz Tanavoli, who emigrated to Vancouver from his native Tehran in 1989. ‘You have to leave everything behind — your workshop, your tools, your artworks.’
‘I live here, but my ideas are a continuation of the work I started in Iran,’ Tanavoli explains, citing the influence of traditional Persian philosophy, as well as the intricate designs of everyday objects, made in a country where sculpture has been prohibited since the 7th century.
In this video, Tanavoli shows works from his latest series, in which the lion emerges as a recurring motif — ‘an icon which pre-dates Islam.’ Large, interlocking forms are a personal reference to a childhood spent working as a locksmith — the artist adding, ‘I love large sculptures, they talk to you’.
For more features, interviews and videos, visit Christie’s Daily