“Re-working traditional Islamic art forms and objects by employing a variety of media (ink drawing, painting, printmaking, digital print, laser cutting, and video projection), I attempt to reconsider the attachment of divineness and depth in art making. I want to highlight how the meticulous process of creating art—once celebrated in ancient Persia as a symbol of beauty, precision, and spirituality—has become obscured in today’s art world.”
Anahita Akhavan
Anahita Akhavan is a Canadian/Iranian visual artist based in Toronto, Canada. Through the thoughtful use of overlapping geometrical shapes and motifs, Akhavan adopts the symbolism and ornamentation found in Islamic architecture, carpet weaving, and tapestry to create a new visual language. She holds an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan and a BFA from the University of Tehran. Most recently, Akhavan’s work has been exhibited at Expo Chicago (2024), Project Casa in Montreal (2023), Duran|Mashaal in Montreal (2023), and United Contemporary in Toronto (2022).
“Labour is a well-explored topic in contemporary art—it is the subject of annual festivals, the dedicated focus of art centres, and the premise of exhibitions, performances, and documentary projects. But it is also a tricky topic. […] Increasingly, artists who deal with representing labour also have to navigate the dematerialization of work, and find ways to bring the often-invisible aspects of contemporary labour (from technology to resource exploitation to gendered and racialized work) out into the light.”
