Special Events
Between Bites | Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze
Thu Oct 19, 2023 | 6 PM - 8 PM
Vancouver Art Gallery
Image: Movie Still from Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze (2014) by Olaf Strassner
*Please note that the time of this event has been changed to 7 PM. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.
Movie screening and dinner, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.
Join us for a special evening at the Gallery that pairs the film Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze (2014) with a delectable Iranian meal. The event will also feature a music recital in the Rotunda, which can be heard as you explore the exhibition Parviz Tanavoli: Poets, Locks, Cages.
Terrence Turner’s documentary recounts the remarkable story of Tanavoli’s fascinating journey of creation, spanning three continents and more than half a century. The film, which has had screenings at the Whitechapel Gallery, London; Christie’s Dubai; and the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, features exclusive interviews with Tanavoli and leading figures in the international art world.
There will be a Q&A with director Terrence Turner following the screening.
Join us to watch this important film, while also taking a culinary journey includes mixed lentil rice, okra and eggplant stew, and saffron lemon chicken catered by Guity Catering.
Guests are encouraged to visit the exhibition Parviz Tanavoli: Poets, Locks, Cages and experience a music recital by Saba Jamali and Abegael Fisher Lang after the film screening.
When: October 19 at 7 PM, doors open to the Gallery at 6:30 PM
Where: 4East, Vancouver Art Gallery
*Please note the NEW schedule of events:
- 6:30 PM – Doors open
- 7 PM – Dinner and film followed by Q&A
- 8:30 PM – Music recital in the Rotunda
TICKETS
$40 for Gallery Members
$55 for General Public
Advance registration is required for this event as spaces are limited. Your ticket will include the film screening, Gallery Admission and a set meal with a non-alcoholic drink from a fixed menu offered by Guity Catering.
FOOD AND DRINKS
A selection non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.
Menu (buffet-style):
- Mixed lentil rice
- Mixed vegetables dish (eggplant, okra, tomatoes)
- White rice
- Saffron lemon chicken
- Mint and cucumber yogurt
- Persian salad
- Persian flatbread
ABOUT THE FILM
Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze
Documentary | 2014 | 69 min | PG
Director: Terrence Turner | Language: English
Parviz Tanavoli is Iran’s greatest living sculptor.
As a guardian of ancient traditions and innovator of new forms of artistic expression, Parviz Tanavoli’s contribution to the modern art movement of the Middle East is without equal. He is also the most important internationally recognized modern sculptor to ever call Canada home. Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze tells the remarkable story of this esteemed artist’s fascinating journey of creation that has spanned three continents and more than half a century.
After receiving his formal training as a sculptor in Italy during the 1950s, the artist returned to Iran and began experimenting with his own artistic vernacular. Finding inspiration in both historic Persian and modern Iranian folk art, culture and poetry, Tanavoli brazenly broke with tradition and began creating modern art works with a distinctly Iranian aesthetic. He then went on to become a founding member of the contemporary Iranian art movement known as the Saqqakhaneh School.
Tanavoli works in different mediums—paint on canvas, ink on paper, clay, copper, brass, silver, even fibreglass and neon—but he is best known for his majestic works in bronze. Although sculpture has become his preferred means of poetic expression, Tanavoli has always been an active painter, collector, author and teacher.
The documentary features exclusive interviews with Tanavoli and leading figures in the international art world. Together they illuminate the emergence and rise of this extraordinary artist who continues creating artistic masterpieces to this day.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Terrence Turner is an award winning director, producer, writer and artist. Turner is the writer and director of the documentary film, Parviz Tanavoli: Poetry in Bronze (which documents the life and work of the esteemed Iranian born artist, Parviz Tanavoli.) The film was produced by his brother, Timothy Turner and Parviz’s daughter, Tandis Tanavoli.
Turner and his brother’s most recent film is the drama Dishonour (2017), which explores the terrifying practice of female genital mutilation and its prevalence in countries outside of Africa.
The Turner brothers also made the documentary film, Adele‘s Wish (2008), which is the story of the restitution of rare Gustav Klimt paintings that were stolen from a family who fled Vienna for North America at the time of WWII.
Turner is not only a filmmaker. He’s also an artist who creates in a variety of mediums, from film and video to sculpture and writing. With all his work, Turner seeks to entertain and provoke and whenever possible, challenge the status quo.
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS
Abegael Fisher-Lang was raised on the Maritime coast, where she cherished the rituals that surround life’s pivotal moments—birth, marriage, and death. These formative experiences instilled a deep appreciation for rituals, words, and music. Now living on the windy Pacific coast, Fisher-Lang path is a Mythopoetic Storyteller. She has spent a lifetime studying philosophy and world religions and learning and retelling the myths of many cultures. She has an enduring love for ritual and the language of spirit, which she considers the true elements of ceremony.
Saba Jamali’s musical journey began with an enchantment for the Qanun, inspired by Tehran’s rich musical culture. Throughout adolescence, a deep calling emerged. Jamali earned a bachelor’s degree in Iranian Music Execution from the Art University of Tehran & Rasht, guided by esteemed maestros like Farokh Mazhari, Masters Malihe Saeedi, and Parichehr Khaje and many other renowned figures. This journey deepened Jamali’s understanding of Persian musical heritage, enriching knowledge of musical systems and rhythms. Jamali has also learned from and embraced diverse musical landscapes from around the world and performed on the stages of international music festivals.