Reza Lavassani’s meticulously executed paintings poetically reinterpret the artistic heritage of his native Iran with imaginative imagery. Drawing on subject matter and motifs that are found in the rich traditions of Persian poetry, music, and miniature manuscript illumination, the artist’s boldly coloured canvases masterfully integrate the natural world as part of a mystical, spiritual realm. His Water, Wind, Earth and Fire series consists of vibrant diptychs and triptychs illustrating fauna and flora through curvilinear delineation reminiscent of the Chinese- inspired art of the Timurid period while also possessing a futuristic appearance with strategic white highlights that create metallic effects. The ubiquitous themes of regeneration through a continuous expanse of time that appear in his paintings and sculptures are tied to his studies of mysticism and philosophy, particularly as they surface in mythology, sociology, and history.

 

Born in 1962 in Tehran, Reza Lavassani received his Bachelor of Arts in painting from the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 1991. Since then he has held several solo exhibitions in Iran and has been part of numerous national and international group exhibitions. The artist has been the recipient of several awards including UNESCO’s Noma Concourse (1994 and 2007), the first prize at Tehran’s 4th Biennial of Sculpture, and 6th Biennial of Illustration. Lavassani’s works can be found in private collections throughout the Middle East.