By: Masoud Shojai Tabatabai

Vladimir Kavanevsky was born in 1950 in the town of Lebedin, Ukraine. He graduated from Kharkov State University, majoring in Cosmic Radiophysics in 1973. He added a diploma later from the Kiev Institute of Journalism, as a Press Artist in 1984. Currently
Kazanevsky is a free-lance cartoonist and writer. He has won 101 prizes in international cartoon competitions in 28 countries. 
 The following is a short  list of examples: 
Hidezo Kondo Prize at the "Yomiuri Int`l Cartoon Contest" in Tokyo, Japan (1990);
 First Prize at the Int`l Cartoon Competition in Prokupje, Jugoslavia (1995); 
Grand Prix at the World Cartoon Gallery in Skopje, Macedonia (1996, 1998);
 Grand Prix at the 4-th Certamen Int`l Competition in Santa Cruz de Tenerife,Spain (1996);  
Grand Prix at the Int`l Cartoon Contest in Sinop, Turkey( 1997);
 First Prize at the Int`l Cartoon Competition in Cuneo, Italy (1998, 2000). 

He has won 22 prizes in the year of 2001 alone. Some of them were: 
Grand Prix in the First INT`L Cartoon Festival "Freedom and Jornalism", Ploiesti, Romania;
Grand Prix in the INT`L Cartoon Contest "In vinoveritas", Sofia, Bulgaria; 
First Prize in the 1st International Competition of Caricatures, Celje, Slovenia;
 First Prize in the INT`L Cartoon Contest, Poltava, Ukraine; First Mention "Section Graphic
Humor" in the INT`L Cartoon Contest, Argentina; 
First Mention "Grabado" in the INT`L Cartoon Contest, Argentina.
 
His cartoons have been published in many newspapers and magazines of the world. Among them are Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan), Izvestiya (Russia), Kiev Post (Ukraine), Nebelspalter (Switzerland), WittyWorld (USA), Ogonyek (Russia), and Eulenspiegel (Germany).
Places for Kazanevsky's personal cartoon exhibitions include the Republican House of Writers in Kiev, Ukraine (1985, 1987), House of Soviet Culture in Beograd, Yugoslavia (1989), Navy Muzeum in Constanca, Romania (1991), House of Russian Culture in Budapest,
Hungary (1992), House of Belgian Culture in Bruxelles, Belgium (1992), City Hall, Kruishoutem, Belgium (1995), Cera-Bank in Leuven, Belgium (1996), House of Culture in Prokupje, Jugoslavia (1997), Café-Podium de Pomp in Antverp, Belgium (1996), Holy Names College,
Oakland, California (1999), Kansai University, Osaka, Japan (2000), and Iranian House of Cartoon, Tehran, Iran (2002).

Kazanevsky is also a known lecturer on the theory of cartoon art. He has given lectures in Laie, Hawaii, USA (1989), at the 10th International Humor Congress, at the University of Paris VIII, Paris, France (1992), the International Conference on Humor and Laughter,
Lycee de Garcons, Luxembourg (1993), the 1999 International Humor Conference, in Holy Names College,
Oakland, California (1999), the 2000 International Humor Conference, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan (2000), the 3rd International Cartoon Festival, Ankara, Turkey (1998), andas well as in the Iranian House of Cartoon, Tehran, Iran (2001).

His cartoon books "Heads" and "Revelation of Elderly Cupid" were published in Belgium and Ukraine. He can be reached by e-mail at: kazan@adamant.net.

Vladimir’s Kazanovsky from Ukraine was the guest of Iranian Cartoonists for a week. Kazanovsky is one of the most famous cartoonists of the world. He has so far won more than 95 grand prizes from credible global exhibitions.

Vladimir was born in Ukraine in 1950 he studied physics in Kharkove University ten after a while the magical world of caricature attracted him to this art. In effect Kazanovsky’s professional career begins with his participation in international exhibitions. And of course his journalistic work was manifested in the only ex-Soviet specialized publication in caricature that is, crocodial whose name remains in the history of Soviet cartoon as a souvenire in addition to caricature Kazanovsky also write’s stories and has certain researches in this field. Holding gatherings with topics such as “heads” and “existensialism in caricature” by him in countries like USA, Japan, Italy has been welcomed by the fans.

Kazonovsky was invited by the national student cartoon festival to Iran. The festival which was sponsor by higher education ministry, international organization of civilization talks (dialogues) with subdivisions of art culture house, and he Iranian caricature house. Last Thursday Kazanovsky participated in a gathering in art culture house with topic of “men beheaded” and in its continuation on Saturday he attended a conference on exist an sialism in caricature” in the Iranian caricature house. The presence of famous cartoonist sets the ground for familiarity with different aspects of this disipline for those interested.

The exhibition of 60 colorful works by Kazanovsky in the house of caricature of Iran, is the highest stage of his presence in Iran. The type of these gatherings with usage of slid shows ad music presents satire with a special kind of attraction. While Kazanovsky was present in the house of caricature in the mentioned conference which was attended by so many great Iranian artists. So many questions were asked and the responded to them after his lecture. He responded to a question on how he see’s the Iranian caricature as follows:

“I never imagined that Iranian artist would be active in this field to this extent, although I was familiar with Iranian caricature dynamism through Iran Cartoon monthly, the Iran Cartoon internet site and catalogues from Iranian exhibitions.” It is evident that the caricature classes in the house of caricature was a surprise for him he himself elaborates on this subject:

“We don’t take caricature so serious in Ukraine and even Russia, Cartoon was a passionate event for me and according to my view Iranian caricaturist are among the best present caricaturists of the world.”

Based on Kazanovsky’s view: “The only country that could be compared to Iran is Turkey which has an active museum and cartoon association and so many books from Turkish caricaturists have been published in this country.” And again according to Kazanovsky” in addition to these events the existence of these caricature classes in Ian and the specialized magazines like “Kayhan Caricature,” “Iran Cartoon” “Satire and Caricature” (Taze Caricature! And “Gol Agha” are exceptional.

Kazanovsky stresses about professional Ukrainian cartoonists: “The number of Ukainian professional caricaturist is not more than ten and we are held headed rivals to each other.” In his views “holding international caricature festivals the existence of caricature internet basis, and caricature training classes, has attracted so many artists “and their qualitative and quantitative presence has caused different kind of look to this phenomenon in Ian on the part of the world. The outstanding presence of Iranian women carticaturists in Iranian caricature art was among the points which prompted Kazanovsky’s surprise in the regard he says: Although caricature has a history of 80 years of activities but there is only one woman caricaturist in Ukraine.

The Iranian artists appreciation of this art and he related book market is the portrail of the treasure which will be floating in the land of dreams and imaginations of this land. In the Iranian house of caricature Kazanovsky Kazanovsky’s designs illustrator a strange in which humans are headless. These beheaded men are the symbol of humans without identity who are thoughtless a part of these designs are about the Ukrainian events, and some other part of these designs are related to the bizzar contemporary world of which is directed by headless are beheaded human beings meaning humanity without identity!

His glance is a bitter one. He bitterly looks to the status of man with out identity. A kind of black satire is vibrating in his caricatures. Although Vladimir himself confesses that. “At the end of drawing every caricature I began to search to open a window toward light on my audience [another words he is saying. “Let there be light!” The ucla slogan.] for example in the collection of headless man which is been published as a collection, in the final page and design I have drawn a man who is going toward his own head which symbolicly is looking at him as the sun in he skies and he surprising point in this design is that this is light himself. This blind fullness is demonstrated with three points which are engraved on his arm as a signs and symbol.

At the margin and the side of this design so many people are wanting and larged waiting to finally recognize themselves and zoom their attention to this light and in is continuation to recognize the sun (suitable to their shadows on earth). This means they are waiting to reach to their identity which is in the head and thought.”