Reza Lavassani

Reza Lavassani was born in Tehran, Iran in 1962. He studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tehran University, but felt after graduating that his degree had not been enough to put him on the 'true path of painting'. For this reason, he spent years studying philosophy in general, and mysticism in particular while being concerned with the basic meanings of mythology, sociology, religion, history, and so on.

Lavassani's paintings and sculptures readily betray his interest in universal symbols and mythological legends. Ancient symbols are recreated papier mâché to form horses, birds, trees, etc. The same motifs appear in his paintings. The horse represents speed and nobility, the women fertility and of the sacred, the bird a messenger between heaven and earth. At the heart of his works, however, is this belief that modern life distances us from nature and reality.