Farah Nayeri
Visiting Scholar, MFA Visual Art
Abbas Akhavan
Artist-in-Residence
Profile
Abbas Akhavan’s practice ranges from site-specific ephemeral installations to drawing, video, sculpture, and performance. The direction of his research has been deeply influenced by the specificity of the sites where he works: the architectures that house them, the economies that surround them, and the people that frequent them. The domestic sphere, as a forked space between hospitality and hostility, has been an ongoing area of research in his practice. More recent works have shifted focus, wandering onto spaces and species just outside the home—the garden, the backyard, and other domesticated landscapes.
Recent solo exhibitions include CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco (2019); Vie D’ange, Montreal (2018); and Villa Stuck, Munich (2017). Akhavan is the recipient of Kunstpreis Berlin (2012), The Abraaj Group Art Prize (2014), and the Sobey Art Award (2015).
(image courtesy of the artist)