Parviz Tanavoli, Saqqakhaneh, Pop Art, and Tate Modern

The Tate Modern museum-gallery in London, one of the largest centers for modern art in the world, is hosting an exhibition titled "The World Becomes Pop," focusing on pop art from the 1960s and 1970s, featuring works by Parviz Tanavoli, one of the most recognized Iranian artists globally. Pop art is a movement in visual arts that emerged in the 1950s in Britain and America, reaching its peak in the 1960s; a movement that challenges classical fine arts by utilizing popular culture (pop) elements such as advertisements and news, aiming to depict today's consumerist world through images from this culture (ranging from a Coca-Cola can to comic book illustrations). Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Hamilton are some of the most well-known artists of this movement. However, the Tate Modern exhibition seeks to explore pop art from more distant places: from Latin America to Asia. The exhibition aims to present a fresh face of pop art; a lesser-known face. As a result, the 160 works gathered in this exhibition from around the world are often not well-known pop art pieces. In fact, this exhibition may not provide a fitting representation of pop art; rather, as its title suggests, it intends to explore the global impact of this movement in countries other than its original sources. These works, all from the 1960s and 1970s, are often being displayed in Britain for the first time. The organizers of the exhibition believe that pop art is not solely about Western consumerism and intend to showcase the impact of popular culture on art in other countries, such as Iran, by selecting works including those by Parviz Tanavoli. Additionally, the exhibition aims to challenge the stereotype of male artists in this movement by introducing numerous works by female artists from around the world: from Jana Zelibska from Slovakia to Maria Maiolino from Brazil. Challenging established arts is another theme that can be explored in this exhibition; including works by Yoshio Shinohara, who presents a "pop" version of 19th-century Japanese prints. Tanavoli, however, is a pioneer of the Saqqakhaneh school, where popular culture plays a significant role; an approach influenced by pop art that emerged in Iran in the 1940s. Artists like Tanavoli used elements and objects found in saqqakhanehs and religious places. Parviz Tanavoli has spoken about the formation of this interest: "One day, around 1961, Zendeh Roodi and I went to Hazrat Shah Abdol Azim, and we were drawn to a number of religious prints that were offered for sale. At that time, we were both searching for various types of Iranian materials that we could use in our work; we bought those images and took them home. We liked the simplicity of their forms, the repetition of their patterns, and their striking colors. The first designs that Zendeh Roodi drew inspired by those images were actually the first Saqqakhaneh works." In Tanavoli's works from this period, symbols such as locks, lions, and cages, which have a prominent presence in the visual elements of Shia Islam, are significantly present. Elements from ancient Persian poetry can also be seen in these works; for example, the story of Shirin and Farhad. Among the works presented by Tanavoli in this exhibition is a piece titled "The Poet and the King's Beloved" (1964), which showcases his interest in ancient poetry and its combination with contemporary Saqqakhaneh symbols. Humor also has a prominent presence in these works: "Does anyone open anyone's door?" is a phrase inscribed on one of his sculptures; a figure that embodies various symbols of a saqqakhaneh.