Bio
Born in 1978, Rasht, Iran and lives in Tehran
Education
2001 B.A in Painting / Graduated from Art and Architecture College, Tehran
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2012 Toy Story, XVA Gallery, Dubai
2011 Nagayamon Art Gallery,Tsukuba,Japan.
2010 “The Cold Sore” X V A Gallery,Dubai.
2010 “Song of Black Tulips” Calo bookshop and cafe (Osaka) Japan.
2010 Art De Art View Gallery,Osaka,Japan.
2010 “Cold Sore” Aaran Art Gallery,Tehran,Iran.
2008 T.Box Gallery,Tokyo,Japan.
2007 Fukka Art Gallery,Tokyo,Japan.
2006 Tribal Art B8 Gallery,Fukuoka,Japan.
2005 T.Box Gallery,Tokyo,Japan.
2004 Day Art Gallery,Tehran,Iran.
2004 T.Box Gallery,Tokyo,Japan.
2003 Laleh Art Gallery,Tehran,Iran.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2011 Morono Kiang Gallery.Los Angeles. U.S.A.
2011 International Book Festival of Illustrated books” 23-28 of May at La Central del Raval bookstore, Barcelona. Spain.
2011 “Festival little circus Flying circus Cagliari” 13-15 may Cultural Centre Exmà CAGLIARI(SARDINIA) Italy.
2011 “The first exhibition of Iranian illustrators” 14 May – 4 June in Neurotitan Gallery, Berlin, Germany.
2011 “My Super Hero” Morano Kiang Gallery Los Angeles,USA.
2011 “My Super Hero” Aaran Art Gallery,Tehran,Iran.
2011 “Doll” Shirin Art Gallery, Group Exhibition.Tehran,Iran.
2011 “Between the Line” XVA Gallery,Dubai.
2010 Cream Art Gallery. Milan Italy.
2010 “The beat of young Iranian contemporary art”Ministry of Nomads,London.
2010 “Pagineacolori in Viaggio” Festival, (Tarquinia) Italy.
2010 “Song of Persia” LOGOS GALLERY, (TOKYO, SHIBUYA) Japan.
2010 Aurum Glory Art Space in Taipei,Taiwan.
2010 “The Story Teller” Taiwan New Arts Union in Tainan,Taiwan.
2010 “Oggi Me Ne Vado,Resto a Teheran” Cream-art Gallery,Milan,Italy.
2009 Works on paper from the “LAAL” collection,Aaran Art Gallery,Tehran,Iran.
2008 Radical Drawing,Tehran Gallery,Tehran,Iran.
2006 “7 auf einen streich” Geschaftsfuhrer Designaustria,Wien,Austria.
2006 Museo Civicodi Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria,Modena,Italy.
2005 “ARTEDEN” Art Center, Trieste, Italy.
Selected Art Fairs and Other
2010 Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, Dubai (selected shortlist)
2010 Art Dubai – Contemporary Art fair. Dubai.
2010 Roma Contemporary Art Fair, Italy.
Prizes
2009 Selected Artist and winner of Honor Diploma from Bologna Book fair, Italy
2009 C.J picture Book Festival, 2nd Prize, South Korea.
2008 Honor Diploma from International Board on Books for young People (IBBY) for “Goodnight commander”, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2008 Honor Diploma from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), Norway and international Announcement of the Book, “Goodnight Commander”.
2008 Teatrio Exhibition, Third Prize for Book making, Venice, Italy.
2007 Honor Diploma from 3rd Barriero Biennial, Portugal
2006 Selected Artist and Winner of Honor Diploma from Bologna Book fair, Italy.
2006 Noma Illustration Concours, Japan, Encouragment Prize.
2005 Selected Artist and Winner of Honor Diploma from Bologna Book Fair, Italy.
2003 Selected Artist and Winner of Honor Diploma from Bologna Book Fair, Italy
2003 42nd Belgrade Exhibition of Illustration, Winner of Golden Pen and Second Prize.
2002 5th Tehran Biennial of Illustration, Second Prize (T.I.B.I)
Contests
2010 Cream – art Gallery, Milan, Italy
2009 Bologna Children’s Book Fair” Illustrators Annual ” Bologna, Italy.
2009 C.J picture Book Festival, Seoul, Korea.
2009 Biennale of Illustration Bratislava [BIB] Slovak Republic.
2008 C.J picture Book Festival, Seoul, Korea.
2008 “One thousand and one Nights” Contemporary Children’s Book Illustration from Iran, Barreiro, Portugal.
2008 ” Ghosts And Get Aways” Teatrio festival, Venice, Italy.
2007 “Playpen” New Children’s Book Illustration (Laurence King Publishing) London, UK.
2007 “Outstanding Books for Young People Disabilities” Norway.
2007 “Theatre de villeneuve les Maguelone” paris, France.
2007 Biennale International Exhibition of Children’s Book Illustration, Barriero, Portugal.
2006 “Bille Der Far Iran” Copenhagen,Denmark.
2006 “Noma” The Prize Winning Works Of The 15Th Concours for picture Book illustrations, Tokyo, Japan.
2006 “The First International Illustration Exhibition Of Dictionaries Book, Tehran, Iran.
2006 First Croatian Biennial Of Illustration, Zagreb.
2006 Bologna Children’s Book Fair” Illustrators Annual ” Bologna,Italy.
2005 Biennale International Exhibition of Children’s Book Illustration, Barriero, Portugal.
2005 Bologna Children’s Book Fair” Illustrators Annual ” Bologna, Italy.
2005 ” The 43rd golden pen of Belgrade” Progres Gallery, Serbia
2004 “Le Immagini della fantasia” sarmede, Italy.
2003 Biennal International Exhibition of Childrens Book Illustration, Barriero, Portugal.
2003 ” The 43rd golden pen of Belgrade” Progres Gallery, Serbia.
2003 Biennale of Illustration Bratislava [BIB] Slovak Republic.
2003 Bologna Children’s Book Fair” Illustrators Annual ” Bologna,Italy.
2001 Biennale of Illustration Bratislava [BIB] Slovak Republic.
2001 “5th Tehran Biennale Of Illustration [T.I.B.I] Tehran, Iran.
Press
2010 Article for exhibition “Childish Strokes of genius” By: Jyoti Kalsi, 10 December, Dubai.
2010 Studio fludd No. 1 ,Interview. December, Italy.
2010 Notpaper, a blog dedicated to showcasing the work of international collage artists, Interview , Canada.
2009 Tandis Art Biweekly Magazine No.162, Interview, November, Tehran.
2009 Tandis Art Biweekly Magazine No.163, Amir Soghrati, November,Tehran.
2007 Shargh Newspaper, Interview, July,Tehran.
2006 Article for book ” Where are you going Aunt Cockroach?” by Gomi Taro Japan.
2006 llustration Magazine No.162,promote and interview ,Japan.
2006 1000 Und 1 Inhalt Magazine ” Das Magazin Fur Kinder-Und Jugendliteratur ” No.1,February, Austria.
2006 Varoom Magazine No.2,the Journal of illustration and made images, Uk.
Training Experiences
2011 Management of a 3-day workshop at the Emad studio, Lahijan. Iran.
2010 Management of a 3-day workshop at the Maazyar Elmi-Karbordi University, Mazandaran. Iran.
2009 Management of a 1-day workshop at the House of Iranian Artists, Tehran . Iran.
2007 Establishment of Kveta Studio and professional training of illustration Tehran. Iran.
2006 Management of a 2-day workshop along with Linda Wolfsgruber, Cultural Complex of Jahad Daneshgahi, Mashad. Iran.
2006 Management of a 3-day workshop in Sarmede, Italy.
Other Activities
2009 Participation in the International Peace Day workshop, spring, Tehran.
2008 Speech regarding the significance of fabricating and processing of a graphic work, Khatam Al Anbia Complex, Rasht,.
2008 Speech regarding status of illustration, Ghom.
2008 Speech regarding significance of illustration drawing, Mirmiran Gallery, House of Iranian Artists Spring,Tehran.
2007 Participating in a 3-day workshop, supervised by Partic Benson, Tehran.
2007 Member of board of founders and jurors of Lak Lak Group in the International Exhibition of Dictionaries, Tehran.
2006 Speech regarding illustration, Iranian Children & Youth’s Book Review & Information Journal.
2006 Participating in a 3-mounth workshop supervised by Linda Wolfsgruber, Tehran.
2005 Participating in a 1-week workshop at Artedon Art Center, Italy.
2004 Speech regarding illustration, Iranian Children & Adult Youth’s Book Review & Information Journal.
2003 Participating in a 3-day workshop supervised by Shijio Nishimora, Tehran.
Exhibitions
Morteza Zahedi
Toy Story
19 March – 30 April 2012
XVA Gallery welcomes the return of Iranian artist Morteza Zahedi for his upcoming solo exhibition ‘Toy Story’, opening March 19th at XVA Gallery, DIFC and on display until April 30th. This new body of work comprises a large number of pieces created in a variety of medium – works on paper, bronzes and installation; including neon and found objects
“Morteza Zahedi is a unique creator, a creator who travels between apparently opposing universes.
Travelling through Morteza’s work is like travelling through an exotic garden full of shapes, colours and sensations, reminding us faintly of the remote territories of childhood and at the same time surprising us at every step with unknown and evocative stimuli.
Morteza, without making value judgements, uses the plasticity of hand to hand combat, of the beauty of confrontation, the seduction of conflict, to show the hidden face of both combatants and unover their virtues and flaws. There are no good guys and bad guys, no winners and losers; what we find is a complex and multifarious universe of attitudes and perceptions which is shown in the expressive tension of each piece, in each assemblage, in each of these new toys which no longer serve the game for which they were created, and now serve interpretation and analysis.”
Isidro Ferrer, February 2012
Morteza Zahedi
The Cold Sore
28 November – 5 January 2011
Once the crowded and dispersed characteristic of Tehran is intermingled with the joyful and lively nature of Guilan, what emerges, is a person named Morteza Zahedi whose artworks are complete carbon copies of his joyful mind. Zahedi is by nature a painter, whether in his compositional conduct, or his fluctuating manner of speech, or even in his on and off expressions of feelings. Whether he is painting or when he is making boxes; with the first glance, we understand that his mind, like that of Turner, even in its tranquility is in turmoil; and of course this turmoil has no connection to that of Turner. In any case, Zahedi cherishes this turmoil and explodes it in improvisations that flavor his brown-papers with the taste of watermelon.
His papers, once full of lines and things, are reminiscent of the grandmothers’ pantries, with the same precision, experience and delicacies for ordering things within the frames.
Vahid Sharifian, winter of 2010