Shiva Ahmadi

Shiva Ahmadi
Born 1975 (age 41–42)
Tehran, Iran
Alma mater
  • Azad University, BFA
  • Wayne State University, MFA
  • Cranbrook Academy of Arts, MFA
Known for Drawing, Painting, Animation

Shiva Ahmadi (born 1975) is an Iranian-American artist known for critically exploring the capitalist and power-based relationship between the East the West. A multi-media artist, her paintings, videos and installations have been exhibited at galleries in North America and the Middle East.

Biography

Ahmadi was born in Tehran, Iran in 1975.[1][2] Her upbringing, which is reflected in her art, was marked by the Iranian Revolution and the Iran–Iraq War.[3] She obtained a bachelor of fine art from Azad University in 1998.[4][5] Ahmadi left Iran in 1999, relocating to Michigan to live with her older sister, Shadan Ahmadi. She completed a master of fine arts in drawing from Wayne State University in 2003.[2] The same year she attended an artist residency at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.[6]In 2005 Ahmadi obtained her second masters degree, in painting, at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.[5] Ahmadi was appointed as an Associate Professor of Art at the University of California, Davis in 2015.[7][2]

Career

Ahmadi's career has been defined by her belief that one cannot be Iranian without being political.[2] Her work examines the corruption and abuse of power that characterizes the intersection between the East and the West.[4] Incorporating Islamic architecture and cultural symbols Ahmadi has taken a critical look at the social and political issues that characterize the relationship including capitalism and the dependence of the West on oil from the Middle East.[8]

Intricate in nature her work often mirrors the visually rich and patterned design of Persian miniatures, with embedded details, sometimes regarding war, corruption or religion, becoming apparent only upon closer inspection.[2][1][8] Known for her achievements in painting, including three-dimensional objects such as oil drums, her later career has been marked by the use of video-animation and, since her move to California, ceramics.[2][4] Most recently Ahmadi has used watercolour and ink to explore current political events and the violence that punctuates them. Her 2017 exhibit at the Leila Heller Gallery titled Ascend was inspired by the death of Aylan Kurdi.[9][10]

Ahmadi's work is held internationally in collections such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the TDIC Corporate Collection in the United Arab Emirates, and the Farjam Collection in Dubai.[7][4] Her piece Pipes was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014.[11]

Exhibitions

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Shiva Ahmadi: In Focus". Asia Society. 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sheets, Hilarie M. (8 February 2016). "Shiva Ahmadi’s Subversive Beauty". Introspective Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  3. ↑ Mallonee, Laura C. (14 July 2014). "Using Beauty to Examine Ugly Political Truths". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Shiva Ahmadi". www.leilahellergallery.com. Leila Heller Gallery. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Shiva Ahmadi". Kresge Arts in Detroit. Kresge Arts in Detroit. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Shiva Ahmadi: Solo Exhibition at Asia Society Museum, NYC". stamps.umich.edu. Stamps School of Art & Design. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Shiva Ahmadi". arts.ucdavis.edu. UC Davis Arts. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Villarreal, Ignacio (2010). "New Paintings and Oil Barrels by Shiva Ahmadi at Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller". artdaily.com. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  9. ↑ "Shiva Ahmadi Combines The Beautiful And The Violent". Harper's BAZAAR Arabia. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Shiva Ahmadi: Ascend - Exhibitions - Leila Heller Gallery". www.leilahellergallery.com. Leila Heller Gallery. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  11. 1 2 Rooney, Julia. "A Closer Look: Shiva Ahmadi's Pipes". The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum. The Met. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  12. ↑ "Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians". Aga Khan Museum. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  13. ↑ Gairola, Vibhu (10 February 2017). "A look at the splendid, politically charged pieces at the Aga Khan Museum's massive new Iranian art exhibition". Toronto Life. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "Global/Local 1960–2015: Six Artists from Iran - Grey Gallery". Grey Gallery. 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "Home Land Security". www.for-site.org. FOR-SITE Foundation. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "Past Exhibitions". www.stonybrook.edu. Charles B. Wang Centre. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "2016 Award Winners". Anonymous Was A Woman Award. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  18. ↑ "Shiva Ahmadi and Sonya Clark Named a 2016 Recipient of the "Anonymous Was A Woman" Award". Cranbrook Academy of Art. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.

"Artist Profile: Shiva Ahmadi". Asia Society. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2017. 

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