Reza Tavakoli

I rarely start a piece knowing exactly what it will become. Most of the time, the work begins with a texture, a mark, a layer of paint, or sometimes even an accident. From there, I keep responding to what happens on the surface—adding, removing, covering, exposing and changing things until the work begins to find its own direction.
I’m drawn to the point where a surface starts to feel like more than simply an image. Texture, space, broken forms, lines and material tension can begin to suggest memory, vulnerability, distance or transformation without telling a specific story. In my recent work, the human figure sometimes enters that space, but I don’t see the figure—or any single visual language—as something I need to stay with permanently. My work changes as I change.
I mainly work with mixed media because it gives me the freedom to build, disturb and rebuild the surface. I use paint, texture, exposed areas, lines, transferred imagery and other physical interventions. I like working somewhere between control and accident. Sometimes I make a decision and then deliberately disrupt it, because what happens afterwards is often more interesting than what I originally planned.
For me, making art is less about illustrating an idea I alrea...

Self-taught contemporary mixed-media artist. Independent studio practice focused on abstraction, figurative work, material experimentation, and psychological landscapes.

2027 — Upcoming Corridor Exhibition
Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (QEPCCC)
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Fall 2027


2026 — Artist Showcase / Exhibition Booth
Meridian Arts Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
June 19–21, 2026


2026 — Group Exhibition
Station Gallery, Whitby, Ontario, Canada