Abdolhossein Pazoki
Abdolhossein Pazoki
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Biography
Abdolhossein Pazouki is an Iranian architect, educator, and artist, born in Tehran on August 6, 1942. His father, a first-grade teacher, was known for his fine voice and eloquence, while his mother was a strict homemaker. Following his father’s death in May 1957, Pazouki became responsible for supporting his family at the age of fourteen. He consequently began working while attending night school.
He eventually left formal schooling, regarding the people and everyday life of the city as his true school and university. He first worked as a newspaper vendor and later as an office attendant at Techno Frico Consulting Engineers. While employed there, he learned technical drawing and gradually became an assistant draftsman. This experience introduced him to the country’s academic institutions and prepared the way for his university education.
Education
During the 1963–1964 academic year, Pazouki entered the Faculty of Decorative Arts. In the same period, he worked with artist and educator Mohammad Ebrahim Jafari to reopen an entrance-examination studio, thereby following his father’s path as a teacher.
Because of financial difficulties and his continuing responsibility for his family, Pazouki later changed his field of study and pursued architecture at the National University of Iran, now known as Shahid Beheshti University.
Activities and Works
Following his graduation, Pazouki taught architecture at several institutions, including Iran University of Science and Technology, the Iran Institute of Technology, and the National University of Iran. He has also continued his professional architectural activities at Dis Consulting Engineers.
In addition to architecture, Pazouki has maintained a deep interest in painting and woodworking. Numerous exhibitions of his work have been held in Iran and abroad. His experience of immigration did not weaken his connection to his cultural background; instead, it renewed his awareness of the authentic signs and symbols of his homeland. These references are visible throughout his creative process, from the earliest stages of conception to the final execution of his works.
His architectural and artistic approach is shaped by interconnected ideas of the middle, the center, and the outside. Through lines, joined surfaces, openings, and voids, he connects interior and exterior worlds. Movement and pathways, positive and negative forms, mathematical structures, and a musical sensibility interact throughout his work.
Pazouki’s designs and creative processes also draw upon everyday events and remembered personal experiences. In his view, a completed work can possess the significance of a poem, a story, or a chapter of a book, inviting the viewer into an inner dialogue with the artist. His recent exhibition at Aliha Gallery reflected his state of mind, ideas, emotions, and perceptions emerging from the deeper layers of his experience.
Achievements and Awards
Pazouki’s principal achievements include overcoming the difficult circumstances of his adolescence, learning technical drawing through professional experience, completing his architectural education, teaching at several universities, and sustaining a multifaceted career in architecture, painting, and woodworking.
His exhibitions in Iran and abroad, as well as the development of a distinctive visual and architectural language based on connected surfaces, voids, geometric relationships, and musical qualities, represent significant aspects of his artistic contribution. No specific awards are mentioned in the information provided.
Video Index
Chapters:
From Childhood to University
The Beginning of an Artistic Career
Professional Activities in Architecture
Painting Exhibitions
Professional Experiences and Working Methods
00:01 The Formation of Your Perspective on Social Issues
03:35 The Evolution of Your Intellectual Outlook
08:56 The Relationship Between Imagination and Reality in Your Work
13:24 The Impact of Artistic Practice on Your Personal Life
17:27 Relationship with Other Art Forms
21:16 The Impact of Migration on Your Work
24:30 Influences on Your Work
30:12 On New Forms of Art
Architecture
00:02 The Place of the Human Being in Your Architectural Work
03:00 The Process of Designing and Creating an Architectural Work
12:14 Characteristics of Your Architectural Work
15:23 The Concept of Architecture
16:38 Which Architects Have Influenced You the Most?
18:07 Function and Comfort or Aesthetics and Form?
20:03 The Absence of a Distinct Contemporary Architectural Style
23:35 The Qualities of Good Architecture
29:01 The State of Architectural Criticism
34:14 The Relationship Between Architecture and Urban Planning
37:18 The Architect’s Responsibility Toward the City and Its Citizens
Painting
00:02 What Is Your Process for Creating a Painting?
12:27 Experimenting with Painting Tools and Techniques
16:23 The Concept of Painting
21:37 Differences Among Three Generations of Contemporary Iranian Painters
24:44 Movements and Styles in Contemporary Iranian Painting
Education and the University
00:03 Differences Between Contemporary Teaching Methods and Those of Your Generation
04:10 Differences Between Today’s Students and Your Generation
07:19 Architectural Education: Fundamentals or Composition?
Personal Worldview
00:00 The Best Advice You Have Ever Received
02:01 The Relationship Between Imagination and Reality in Your Personal Life
05:04 What Surprises You Most About the World Today?
06:22 The Best Advice You Have Received in Architecture
12:39 How Would You Describe Yourself?
13:16 Your Greatest Aspiration
13:52 Hopes and Disappointments
15:01 Advice for the New Generation
Personal Information
- Birthday: August 6, 1942
- Birthplace: Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Interview date: 17.05.2016- 23.05.2016
Architect, educator, and artist
