Working in Tehran and in Minneapolis in the early 1960s, Tanavoli forged a new sculptural idiom. Drains, faucets, padlocks, latticework, and tube-like sections first sculpted in wax or clay, then cast in bronze, comprise his sculpture from this period. This additive use of commonplace motifs or popular imagery earned his artistic circle the name Saqqakhaneh—a Persian term referring to commemorative public water fountains often densely decorated and surrounded by metal grills.
Gallery label from 2017.