Parviz Tanavoli's Poets, Locks, Cages at Vancouver Art Gallery

The Vancouver Art Gallery presents Poets, Locks, Cages, the first major institutional survey of Iranian modernist Parviz Tanavoli in Canada, his home since 1989. Curated by Pantea Haghighi, the exhibition spans six decades and includes rarely shown works from private collections and museums. Tanavoli, who has Parkinson's disease, was unable to be interviewed but was pleased to see his works exhibited. The show lacks a linear narrative, instead functioning like a bazaar with sections in dialogue. It includes his Heech series (1965–ongoing), paintings on antique manuscripts, and works like Standing Poet with Heech II (1973). The exhibition follows a 2019 show at West Vancouver Art Museum and a 2017 solo at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Tanavoli, a pioneer of the Saqqakhaneh movement, is known for integrating Persian symbols with international modernism. The exhibition runs until 19 November 2023.