Biography

Shahrzad Amin is an Iranian-Canadian award-winning interdisciplinary artist. She creates socially engaging art pieces that invoke thoughts and encourage conversations about socio-cultural issues that surround us. Shahrzad makes original pieces that truly move people to feel intense emotions. Her interest in fundamental social issues such as democracy, human rights, equality, and migration has informed an art practice examining diasporic and socio-cultural subjectivities through the lenses of art practice, sensory ethnographic filmmaking, architectural design, gender, and language. Her works highlight a social openness and necessity for global international connectivity, by applying the historical eastern architectural figures such as arch bridges as a metaphor for overcoming cultural distances. She obtained a BFA from Tehran University of Art in 2010 and an MFA from OCADU in 2020.

Education

2020: Faculty of Fine Arts, OCAD University, Canada

Master of Fine Arts Interdisciplinary in Media, Art, and Design

2016: Concept Sculpting in ZBrush - Syn Studio Art School, Canada

2012: Faculty of Fine Arts - Concordia University, Canada

Independent student, Sculpture

2010: Faculty of Fine Arts -Tehran Art University, Iran

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture

Selected Group Exhibitions

2022: 61 edition of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Online Fair, Toronto, ON
2022: Ignite Gallery, To You, From Me, For Us, Toronto, ON
2022: Visual Arts Mississauga at Riverwood, Online Juried Exhibition, Mississauga, ON
2021: John B. Aired Gallery, Mistletoe Magic, Toronto, ON
2021: Photophobia Contemporary Moving Image Festival, (Upcoming), Hamilton, ON

2021: Acceptance to the First-Time Filmmaker Film Festival, United Kingdom

2021: Acceptance to the 12th Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival, Los Angeles. L.A

2020: Cameron Art Museum, Illumination 2020, Wilmington, NC

2020: Ignite Gallery, LOREM IPSUM - PART TWO (Virtual Exhibition) Toronto, ON

2020: Grad Ex 105, OCAD University, Toronto, ON (Cancelled due to COVID-19)

2020: IAMD Graduate Show, TMAC, Toronto, ON (Cancelled due to COVID-19)

2019: Florence Contemporary Exhibition, OCAD University, Toronto, ON

2019: Graduate Gallery, Hidden Order, OCAD University, Toronto, ON

2019: The Open Gallery, Living with Things, OCAD University, Toronto, ON

2018: Graduate Gallery, CO-, OCAD University, Toronto, ON

2018: 57th edition of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON

2018: 145 Ontario Society of Artists Annual Open Juried Exhibition, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, ON

2018: WONDROUS WAYS, Arta Gallery, Toronto, ON

2018: VAM’s 40th Annual Juried Show, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, ON

2017: 8th Annual Juried Show FigureWorks 2017, St Brigid's Centre for the Arts, Ottawa, ON

2016: San Diego Comic-con, San Diego Convention Center, Mattel/Mega Bloks, San Diego, CA

2015: New York Comic-con, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Mattel/Mega Bloks, New York, NY

2013: Tell Me This Isn’t Real, VAV Gallery, Montreal, QC

2013: Mapping Cultural Belonging, Vitrine Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal, QC

2012: Sculpture exhibition, Grover Building Gallery, Montreal, QC

2012: The 3rd Biannual Exhibition of Urban Sculpture, Barg Gallery, Tehran, Iran

2011: The Exhibition of Small Sculptures, Farvahar Gallery, Tehran, Iran

2010: The 2nd Biannual Exhibition of Urban Sculpture, Barg Gallery, Tehran, Iran

2010: Group Sculpture Exhibition, Shiveh Gallery, Shiraz, Iran

2009: The Seed of Baobab, Aaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran

2008: The 1st Biannual Exhibition of Urban Sculpture, Barg Gallery, Tehran, Iran

Solo & Duo Exhibitions

2020: Bridge Obscura (Thesis exhibition), Graduate Gallery OCADU, Toronto, ON (Cancelled due to COVID-19

2018: Parallel World, Gozaar Art Gallery, Esfahan, Iran

2017: Solo sculpture exhibition, Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, Oakville, ON

Awards & Grants

2022-2023: Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council (OAC), ON

2021: Research-Creation Grant, Canada Council for the Arts

2021: Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council (OAC), ON

2020: Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council (OAC), ON

2020: Artscape Launchpad Bursary Program, Toronto, ON

2018: Juror's picks award, 57th edition of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON 2018: Above Grand Award, 145 Ontario Society of Artists Annual Open Juried Exhibition, Toronto, ON

2017: Honorable Mention Award, 8th Annual Juried Show FigureWorks, Ottawa, ON

Public Artworks

Town of Oakville

2021: Bridge Obscura, (Temporary Public Sculpture, Upcoming)

Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre

2017: The Lonely Side of Humans (Temporary Public Sculpture)

Tehran Municipality (Beautification Department), Tehran, Iran

2012: Zebras (Urban Sculpture), Installed at Police Park

2010: Kid, Ball, Play (Urban Sculpture), Installed at Shahr Park

Publications

2020: “Bridge Obscura: Connecting Cultures through Sculpture Installation” IAMD Thesis, Toronto, ON

2020: Beyond Curiosity, “Interview with Artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher,” by Shahrzad Amin, Toronto, ON