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Iran Unglazed: Local, National, and Global Histories of Persian Tilework
Apr 27, 2022 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 11:00am Pacific Time via Zoom
Registration Required
This talk examines the many ways in which Persian tilework has been packaged and interpreted between the field, museum, and photograph. At stake is a balancing act between prevailing narratives of world heritage and local and national histories, as well as the reconciliation of museum “objects” and their original architectural homes. Through this lecture, Dr. Overton highlights the circumstances that have informed the transformation and reception of Persian tiles over the last two centuries, including their documentation, plunder, preservation, exhibition, commodification, and most importantly, perception by the audience. Dr. Overton ultimately seeks to unglaze the study of Persian tilework by moving beyond pristine surfaces and illuminating contested, conditional, and at times even ugly histories.
About the Speaker
Keelan Overton earned her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2011. She is an Independent Scholar and art historian specializing in the eastern Islamic world from Iran to India. Her recent book is the edited volume Iran and the Deccan: Persianate Art, Culture, and Talent in Circulation, 1400-1700 (Indiana University Press, 2020). In fall 2021, she was a Getty Scholar at the Getty Research Institute, where she worked on her book in progress titled Iran Unglazed: Local, National, and Global Histories of Persian Tilework. She is currently teaching seminars on Persian architecture and preparing a virtual exhibition/website on the Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin.