Aziz Art February 2017

In early 1957, Farmanfarmaian
moved back to Iran.
Inspired by the residing culture,
she discovered “a fascination with
tribal and folk artistic tradition” of
her country’s history, which “led
her to rethink the past and
conceive a new path for her art.”
In the following years, she would
further develop her Persian
inspiration by crafting mirror
mosaics and abstract monotypes,
featuring her work at the Iran
Pavilion in the 1958
Venice Biennale,and holding a
number of exhibitions in places
such as Tehran University (1963),
the Iran-America Society (1973),
and the Jacques Kaplan/Mario
Ravagnan Gallery (1974).
Exile and second return to Iran
In 1979 Farmanfarmaian and her
second husband, Abolbashar,
traveled to New York to visit
family.Around the same time, the
Islamic Revolution began, and so
the Farmanfarmaians found
themselves exiled from Iran, an
exile that would last for over
twenty years.Farmanfarmaian
attempted to reconcile her mirror
mosaics with the limited resources
offered in America, but such lacking
materials and comparatively
inexperienced workers restricted
her work. In the meantime, she
placed larger emphasis on her
other aspects of art, such as
commissions, textile designs, and
drawing.
Since moving back to Iran in 1992,
and later Tehran in 2004,
Farmanfarmaian has reaffirmed her
place among Iran’s art community,
gathering both former and new
employees to help create her
mosaics.Today, she continues to live
and work in Tehran
Artwork
Aside from her mirror work,
Farmanfarmaian is additionally
known for her paintings, drawings,
textile designs, and monotypes
Mirror Mosaics
Around the 1970s, Farmanfarmaian
visited the Shah Cheragh mosque in
Shiraz, Iran.With the shrine’s “highdomed
hall… covered in tiny
square, triangular, and hexagonal
mirrors,”