Quick Facts
Biography
Anahita Akhavan is an Iranian-Canadian painter based in Toronto. Her practice is influenced by Islamic artistic ornamentation and cultural signifiers.
Career
Akhavan received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Tehran in 2013 and a Master of Fine Art from the University of Saskatchewan in 2016. She has exhibited extensively in Canada, Iran, and the United States, with notable solo shows including Re-entrant at United Contemporary (2022) and Unsettled at North York Arts (2021). She has also been included in numerous group exhibitions, including Art Parkdale International at Gallery 1313 (2020) and Resilience; Redefined at Artscape Youngplace (2020). Akhavan has taught drawing and painting at both the Toronto School of Art and University of Saskatchewan College of Art and Sciences.
Akhavan has secured funding from a number of government agencies including the Ontario Art Council (2022) and the Toronto Arts Council (2021). She also received the Royal Bank of Canada Newcomer Arts Award in 2021.