EDUCATION 

2014 – 2017 Master of Fine Arts (Performance) 

School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA

(New Society Artist Merit Award)


2004 - 2008  Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture)

Emily Carr University, Vancouver, Canada

TEACHING 

School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA 

Lecturer 

2023 - Present Wearing Many Hats, Art History and Arts Admin Department

2020 – Present Core I, Core II, Research, Contemporary Practices Department

2018 – 2019 Interdisciplinary Graduate Advisor, Graduate Division 

Northwestern University, Chicago, USA 

Substitute Brendan Fernandes 

2019 Postcolonial Cultural Theory Seminar 

AWARDS, GRANTS, ACQUISITIONS 

2023 University Club, Chicago USA (acquisition)

2023 Canada Council for the Arts, Canada

2022 Artadia Awardee, Chicago, USA

2022 Spark Grant, Chicago, USA

2021 Driehaus Museum Fellowship, Chicago, USA

2020 Diversity Infusion Grant, Chicago, USA

2019 Vermont Studio Center Fellowship, Vermont, USA

2019 Canada Council for the Arts, Grant for Art Residency, Canada 

2017 Leadership Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago,USA

2016 Emerging Artist Grant, Canada Council for the Arts, Canada

2015 Interoffice project selection, Canada Council For the Arts, Canada 

2014 New Artist Society Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA

2014 Canada Council for the Arts, Canada 

RESIDENCIES 

2023 Roger Brown Residency, New Buffalo, USA

2021 BOLT at Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago, USA

2020 Driehaus Museum, Chicago, USA

2019 Vermont Studio Residency, Vermont, USA

2015 ACRE, Steuben, USA

2015 OxBow, Saugatuck, USA

2014 Banff Residency, Banff, Canada

2013 Artscape, Toronto, Canada 

2012 Sazmanab Gallery, Tehran, Iran 

2012 The Urban Art House Center, Tehran, Iran 


PRESS and PUBLICATIONS  

2024 Mousse Magazine, Stephanie Cristello

2024 Brookyln Rail, Pia Singh

2024 WDCB Radio

2024 The Modern Art Notes Podcast

2024 WBEZ Radio

2024 Canvas Magazine

2024 Review of Maryam Taghavi at the MCA, Lori Waxman, Hyperallergic Magazine

2024 Review of Maryam Taghavi at the MCA, Annette Lepique, NewCity Magazine

2024 Review of Maryam Taghavi at the MCA, Micco Caporale, Reader Magazine

2023 Exhibition Announcement, OCULA

2023 Exhibition Announcement, NewCity Magazine

2023 Exhibition Announcement, e-flux Magazine

2023 Artist Profile, Chicago Magazine

2023 New City Artists’ Artist, Chicago, IL

2023 New City, 5 Best Booths in EXPO, Chicago, IL

2023 O’Hare Terminal 5 Expansion

2023 Exhibition Announcement, Museum of Contemporary Art

2023 Artist Profile, Art Gallery of York University, Felicia Mings

2023 A Review of Blanc Gallery, Spell Casting, Chicago Reader, Kerry Cardoza

2021 A Review of A Form By Which to Be Possessed, Hamza Walker 

2020 Flag Art: Raising New Symbols of Belonging, Susan Snodgrass 

2018 Exhibition Review, Chicago Tribune, Exhibition Asks Hard Immigration Questions, Lori Waxman 

2017 Exhibition Review, Reverse Archeology, The Seen, Niloufar Sarlati 

2016 Ugly Duckling Publication, Between Paradise and A Hard Place

2016 Joan Flasch Artist Collection, jä be jä, Chicago, USA 

2016 Joan Flasch Artist Collection, Ass Without a Burden Walks Nimbly, Chicago, USA 

2014 Art Metropole, from mouth to mouth: an exercise in intimacy, Toronto, Canada 

2013 FUSE Magazine, Re: Ouster_Union, Toronto, Canada

2013 XPace Publication, Sight Specific, Toronto, Canada

2012 Ugly Duckling Publication, One Hundred Stitches, Chicago, USA 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 

2024 Museum of Contemporary Art, Performance at the Edlis Neeson Theater

With Farideh Hamzanlou and Jamshid Jam Band

2023 Museum of Contemporary Art (SOLO)

Curated by Bana Kattan

2023 O’Hare Airport, Chicago, USA (permanent installation)

Curated by Ionit Behar and Andrew Schachman 

2023 EXPO, Chicago, USA

Artadia Awardee Booth

2023 Blanc Gallery (SOLO)

A Leap Has No Return, Curated by Rohan Ayinde

2022 University Club, Chicago, IL (SOLO) 

Blowing into Thin Matter 

2022 Shamide Gallery, Tehran, Iran

Through the Lens, Curated by Sanam Samanian

2021 Chicago Artist Coalition, Chicago, USA (SOLO) 

A Form By Which To Be Possessed 

2021 6018 North 

A Raisin in the Sun, Curated by Asha Iman Veal 

2021 Driehaus Museum, Chicago, USA 

A Tale of Today

2021 Chicago Artist Coalition 

One Thousand Plateaus, Curated by Kristin Korolowicz 

2020 Four Flags, Manual Style, Chicago, USA

Flames, Curated by Stephanie Castello, Ruslana Lichtzier  

2020 Lubeznic Art Center, Michigan, USA 

Living Architecture (Traveling Exhibition) 

2020 Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago 

Influx, Curated by Tricia Van Eyck 

2019 EXPO International Art Fair (SOLO) 

Flight into the Abyss

2019 Weinberg-Newton Gallery, Chicago, USA 

The Way the Mystic Sees, Curated by Nabiha Khan

2019 Weinberg-Newton Gallery, Chicago, USA 

Anatomy of a Fall 

2019 Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, USA 

Center Program, curated by Juarez Hawkins 

2018 6018 North, Chicago, USA 

Living Architecture (curated by Tricia Van Eyck, Teresa E. Silva) 

2018 Morlan Gallery, Transylvania University, Kentucky 

Lake Effect, Curated by Andrea Fisher and Trevor Martin

2018 Hyde Park Art Center 

Ground Floor, Curated by Allison Peters Quin

2018 Defibrillator (SOLO) 

Anatomy of a Siren 

2017 Grace Space, Brooklyn, NY 

Anatomy of a Siren 

2017 Roman Susan Gallery, Chicago 

Untitled (Study on a Silhouette) 

2017 LAXART, Los Angeles 

Reconstitution, curated by Hamza Walker and Catherine Taft

 2017 Queens Museum, NY 

Liveart.US (curated by Hector Canonge) 

2017 SpreadArt, Detroit 

Rapid Pulse Tour 

2017 Sullivan Galleries, Chicago 

Reverse Archeology, Curated by Elliot Reichart and Daniel Fuller

2016 Sullivan Galleries, Chicago 

Painting in Time II (curated by Kate Wilson) 

2016 LeRoy Neiman Center, Chicago 

Ass Without a Burden Surely Walks Nimbly 

2015 Links Hall, Chicago 

Between Paradise and a Hard Place 

2014 Links Hall, Chicago, USA

A Birthday Kit

2014 Unpack Gallery, Toronto, Canada 

jä be jä curatorial project 

2014 Tarahan Azad, Tehran, Iran 

jä be jä curatorial project 

2014 Hatch Residency, Harbourfront Center, Toronto, Canada 

The Ballad of Student B, in collaboration with Francisco Granados 

2014 Le Labo, Toronto, Canada

Squint, Performative Lecture 

2014 Unpack Studio, Toronto, Canada

from mouth to mouth: an exercise in intimacy

2013 Hub 14, Toronto, Canada

Variations on Utterance 

2013 Decolonial Aesthetics Symposium, University of Toronto, Canada

Performance Lecture, Mother Tongue 

2013 Fado Center for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada 

Variations on Absurdity, Site-Specific, Curated by F.F Granados

WORKSHOPS, INTERVIEWS, LECTURES 

2024 Panelist, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA

2024 Guest Artist, Drawing and Painting Graduate Critiques, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA

2024 Guest Artist, Contemporary Practices Department, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA

2024 Guest Artist, Art History Department, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA

2024 Artist Talk, Persian Circle, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

2024 Museum of Contemporary Art, The Teens Workshop, Chicago, USA

2023 Guest Artist, Visual Arts Department Graduate Critiques, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA

2023 Jury, OX Bow Residency, Saugatuck, MI, USA

2023 Artist Talk in conversation with Bana Kattan, Blanc Gallery, Chicago, USA

2022 Panelist “On Iran (Women, Life Freedom)”, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA

2022 Artist Talk in conversation with Hamed Yousefi, University Club, Chicago, USA

2022 Jury, Onion City Film Festival, Chicago, USA 

2021 Interview, On the Occasion of…, Roman Susan Gallery, Chicago, USA 

2021 Interview, Islamic Arts Initiative, Columbia College, Chicago, USA 

2020 Panelist, Divergent Realities,, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, USA 

2020 Interview with Daniel Quiles, Mana Contemporary, Chicago, USA 

2019     Interview with Bad at Sports, Chicago, USA 

2016 Artist Talk, God Sees, Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, USA

2016 Workshop, Ass Without a Burden Walks Nimby, SAIC, Chicago, USA

2016 Artist Talk,  Modes of Escape, Columbus Auditorium, Chicago, USA

2015 Lecture, Performance as a Drawing Tool I, Xpace Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2014 Curator Talk+Panel, Displacement and Accent, Tarrahan Azad, Tehran, Iran

2014     Curator Talk+Panel, Unpack Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2014 Reading Group, Translating into English, Kaf Gallery, Tehran, Iran

2013      Lecture, Performance as a Drawing Tool II, Sazmanab Residency, Tehran, Iran 

2013      Artist Talk, Translation and Accent, Sazmanab Gallery, Tehran, Iran 


BOARD MEMBER 

2022 - present Co-Prosperity Cultural Center, Chicago, USA

2012 - 2014 FADO Performance Art Center, Toronto, Canada

2012 - 2014 FUSE Magazine, Toronto, Canada