Born in Hamedan, Iran.
Lives and works in Manhattan, NY.
Education
- 2012-2014M.F.A. State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- 2003-2007B.F.A. School of Art & Architecture, Islamic Azad University of Tabriz, Iran
Fellowships, Awards, & Residencies
- 2020Creative Engagement Grant, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), New York, NY
- 2020Sculpture Space Residency, Utica, NY
- 2020Residency Fellowship, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
- 2019The Puffin Foundation Grant, Teaneck, NJ
- 2019New Work Grant, Queens Council on the Arts (QCA), Queens, NY
- 2019Bethea Scott Owen Fellowship & Artist Residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), Amherst, VA
- 2018Scholarship Award, Manhattan Graphic Center, New York, NY
- 2018Emerging Artist Award, Elevision Digital Media Broadcast, Dubai, UAE
- 2017Tao Hua Tan Artist Retreat & Painting Residency, Tao Hua Tan, Anhui, China
- 2017Yaddo Artist Residency, (Wait Listed), Saratoga Springs, NY
- 2016Artist Residency Fellowship, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), North Adams, MA
- 2016Artist in the Marketplace (AIM), The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY
- 2016Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, NYFA, Brooklyn, NY
- 2016First Friday Artist Residency Program, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), Queens, NY
- 2016Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
- 2015Teaching Artist Residency Fellowship, Cooper Union School of Art, New York, NY
- 2015Artist Residency MAISON des ARTISTES, The Griffis Art Center, New London, CT
- 2015Ruth Katzman Scholarship, The League Residency at Vyt, Sparkill, NY
- 2015Van Lier Residency Fellowship, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor, Staten Island, NY
- 2014Visiting Artist in Residence, Montgomery College, (AIR) Fall Semester, Silver Spring, MD
- 2013Artist Residency Grant, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
- 2013Artists-in-Residence, Platte Clove, Arkville, NY
- 2013Scholarship Award, Iranian American Academics and Professionals, Montgomery Community College, Rockville, MD
- 2013Research and Creative Project Award, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- 2013Exhibition Award ViewPoints 2013, Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, NJ
- 2013Artist Residency Grant, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- 2013David Lavallee Travel Grant, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- 20131st Showcase winner ArtSlant
- 2012Artist Residency Fellowship, Relevant 2012, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT
- 2012Artist Residency, The International School of Painting, Drawing, & Sculpture, Umbria, Italy
- 2012Conference Grant, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- 2012Research Grant, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- 2012Graduate Scholarship, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- 2021Unification, High Line Nine Gallery, (curated by Roya Khadjavi Projects), New York, NY
- 2020Works on Paper, Chashama, Manhattan, NY
- 2019-2020Zahra Nazari Studios’ Selected Work, ABS Engineering, PLLC, New York, NY
- 2019Uprooted, Chashama, Queens, NY (funded by the Queens Council on the Arts and the Puffin Foundation)
- 2019Before and After, The Arts of Ken Morgan & Zahra Nazari (2-person exhibition), Eclipse Mill Gallery, North Adams, MA
- 2017Remnants, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
- 2017Transformation, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, PA
- 2016Vanishing Point, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
- 2016Transformations, Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
- 2015Metamorphosis, Mooney Center Gallery, The College of New Rochelle, NY
- 2015Urban Façade, MAISON des ARTISTES, The Griffis Art Center, New London, CT
- 2014Inside Out, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Silver Spring, MD
- 2013-2014Deconstructing Scapes, Hartnett Gallery, University of Rochester, NY
- 2013Selected Work, Gallery I, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT
- 2013Urban Memories, Shainberg Gallery, Jewish Community Center, Memphis, TN
- 2008Zahra Nazari’s Selected Work, Baran Gallery Tehran, Iran
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2020Forget What You Know, curated by Kourosh Mahboubian, Art of Our Century, New York, NY
- 2020We Are Open, curated by Marcus Holtby, Media Arts Building – StartaArta, New York, NY
- 2020Kundiman Silent Auction, Ace Hotel, New York, NY
- 202031st Charity Art Auction, Sculpture Space, Utica, NY
- 2020Spring Flash, Equity Gallery, New York, NY
- 2020Selected Works, Online Exhibition, Art in Res, New York, NY
- 2020Support New York: Online Fundraiser for hospitals and artists, New York, NY
- 2020Art Virus 2020, Traveling Exhibit in Korea, Gallery Giant’s Garden, Jeju, Space Vanana Project, Daegu,
- Gyeongmin Museum of Contemporary Art, Uijeongbu, Art & Craft Museum, Jeollanam-do
- 2019-2020Decentralized, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
- 2019Boccara Art Open Call, Boccara Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2019Space 776 Auction, Brooklyn, NY
- 201969th Aone, curated by Bill Carroll, Silvermine Galleries, New Canaan, CT
- 2019New York Academy of Art, New York, NY
- 2019All Woman, MAISON 10, New York, NY
- 2018-2019Art from the Boros VI, Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, NY
- 2018-2019The 2019 Flat file: Year Six, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, New York, NY
- 2018Governors Island Art Fair, Governors Island, NY
- 2018Let me reintroduce myself, curated by Krista Scenna and Carolina Peñafiel, Cigar Factory, Long Island City, NY
- 2018CMYK, Carrie Able Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2017AIM 2017 Biennale, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY
- 2017International Artist’s Creation Camp at the Edge of Peach Blossom Pond, Xuancheng Museum, Xuancheng, Anhui, China
- 2017Portal 2017, 4Heads Portal SOHO, New York, NY
- 2017BCNA, Korean American Association of Greater New York, NY
- 2017Contemporary Art Exhibit, Manhattan Art & Antique Center, New York, NY
- 2017Press: Pause, curated by Shannon Stratton, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
- 2017Small Works, National Association of Women Artists, New York, NY
- 2017BCNA Benefit Exhibition, 524 West 26th Street, New York, NY
- 2016Borderless: In Perspective, curated by David C. Terry, Lite-Haus Galerie, Berlin, Germany
- 2016(Un)Common Space(s), Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC
- 2016Futuristic Fabrication, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), Queens, NY
- 2016Imaginary Places, curated by Linda Streicher, Studio Montclair, Montclair, NJ
- 2015Metamorphosis, The Cooper Union School of Art, New York, NY
- 2015Silk Journey to Art, World Tour Exhibition, The China Millennium Monument, Beijing, China
- 2015Borrowed Paths, Broken Rules, curated by George Sferra, Gowanus Ballroom, Brooklyn, NY
- 2015Spatial Planes & Timeless Dimensions, curated by Akaash Mehta & Minna Packer, 555 West 25 St, New York, NY
- 20143rd Annual Juried International Exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art, LuminArte Gallery, Dallas, TX
- 2014Emergence 2014: International Artists to Watch, curated by Deana Haggag & Sharon Burton Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
- 2014PINNACLE 2014, Foster Tanner Fine Arts Gallery, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
- 2014Points of Departure, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY
- 201451st Annual Juried Competition, curated by Kelly Shindler, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
- 2014Ardent Rift, Kingston Museum of Contemporary Art, Kingston, NY
- 2013Abstract Paintings, SUNY Global Center, New York, NY
- 2013Working it out, curated by Mona Brody, Alyce Gottesman and Jo Ann Rothschild, Painting Center, New York, NY
- 2013ViewPoints 2013, curated by Helaine Posner, Aljira, A Center for Contemporary Art, Newark, NJ
- 2013Nation, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2012Worldview, curated by Chuck Gniech, Gallery 180, Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, IL
- 2012Collector Exchange Exhibit, The Yard Event Center, Park City, UT
- 2012Summer Show, Galleria ISA, Umbria, Italy
- 20126th Annual Master Pieces, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
- 2012Reroot, curated by Missy Miller, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH
- 2012National Wet Paint, curated by Sergio Gomez, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
- 2012Twenty in Their Twenties, curated by Betsy Odom, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
- 2009Color of Kindness, Iranian Center for International Conferences, Tehran, Iran
- 2008Youth Art, 4th Visual Arts Festival, Tehran, Iran
- 2006Islamic World, 4th International Painting Biennial, Saba Institution, Tehran, Iran
Lectures / Panels
- 2020Panel Discussion, Disclosures Through Dialogue: Zahra Nazari, Filo Sofi Arts & Kourosh Mahboubian, New York, NY
- 2020Mentor at NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Brooklyn, NY
- 2020Grant Review Panel, Queens Council on the Arts (QCA), Queens, NY
- 2019Artist Talk, Chashama, Queens, NY
- 2019Artist Talk, Maison10, New York, NY
- 2018Guest Artist, Graduate Committee Panel, City College of New York, NY
- 2018Panel Discussion, Carrie Able Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2017Panel Discussion, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
- 2017Visiting Artist Lecture, Eastern Connecticut University, Willimantic, CT
- 2017Artist Lecture, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, PA
- 2016Panel Discussion, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
- 2016Artist Lecture, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), Queens, NY
- 2016Guest Speaker “Ex-patriot women artists from the so-called ‘Islamic World’, St. John’s University, Queens, NY
- 2016Panel Discussion, Montclair Library, Montclair, NJ
- 2015Guest Critic, Final Juries of Design/Architecture, Pratt Institute, Higgins Hall, Brooklyn, NY
- 2015Artist Lecture, The Cooper Union, Rose Auditorium, New York, NY
- 2014Visiting Artist Lecture, Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Silver Spring, MD
- 2014Lecture Coordinator, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY (2013-2014)
- 2013Visiting Artist Lecture, Hartnett Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
- 2013Artist Lecture, Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, New York, NY
- 2013Instructor of Record, Basic Printmaking, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY (Fall 2013)
- 2013Instructor of Record, Foundation Intro to Studio Art, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY (Spring 2013)
- 2012Artist Lecture, Kimball Art Center, Park City, UT
Selected Bibliography & Press
- 2020“Heightened Perceptions” Exhibition Review, Ante Magazine (November 13, 2020)
- 2020“Forget What You Know” Whitehot Magazine, (September 23,2020)
- 2020“Puzzle with Purpose”, limited edition of 20. In collaboration with the curator and editor, Rachel D. Vancelette, and Art X Puzzles.
- 2019“Zahra Nazari: Metamorphosing Gestures” Art Spiel (September 2, 2019)
- 2019“Zahra Nazari Explores Identity with Architectonic Paintings” Artqol magazine (March 1, 2019)
- 2018Art Break: Governors Island Hosts an Art Fair and New Exhibits Kick Off the Season at Galleries Around Town” ZEALnyc (September 2018)
- 2018Kaufman, Celeste “Zahra Nazari Exploring Identity in Abstractions inspired by Architecture” Hamptons Art Hub (July 2018)
- 2018“SUNY New Paltz Alumna Dazzles Art World” The New Paltz Oracle (Feb 1, 2018)
- 2018“MFA alumna getting international exposure in galleries and print” SUNY New Paltz Alumna News (Jan 18, 2018)
- 2017“Bronx Calling”, exhibition catalog, Bronx Museum of the Arts (June 2017)
- 2017ZH Magazine (September 2017)
- 2017Steinhauer, Jillian. Passing Through Portal, an Unpretentious Art Fair in Soho. Hyperallergic (May 2, 2017)
- 2017Hamptons Art Hub, Ultimate Guide to the NYC Art Fairs of Frieze Week 2017, (May 1, 2017)
- 2017“The Allure of Architecture: An Interview with Zahra Nazari”, The Aftab Committee (February 27, 2017)
- 2017Paint Pulse Magazine, Issue 6, Juror: Schultz, Suzanne
- 2016Art Reveal Magazine, Issue 19 (August 2016)
- 2016“The Best of 2016 International Emerging Artists Award of Dubai.” Pixalib (March 2016)
- 2016Brewer, Don. “Transformations” Philadelphia, PA DoNArTNeWs
- 2016Art File Magazine, Emerging Artist Grant
- 2015“Summer Art intensive Program Exhibition.” Exhibition catalog, NYC: Cooper Union School of Art (August 2015)
- 2015Brown, A. Will. “An International Publication for Contemporary Art.” Fan Mail: Daily Serving (July 10, 2015)
- 2015“Summer 2015 Issue.” Ruminate Magazine
- 2014Downs, David. “Polonium No2 NonObject” Sprocketbox Entertainment Cultural Arts Organization (December 20, 2014)
- 2014Lonardi, Matteo. “Artistic Spring: Zahra Nazari.” Citizens Brooklyn (May 2014)
- 2014Libbey, David. “Zahra Nazari brings her world to Rochester.” University of Rochester: Campus Times (Jan 23, 2014)
- 2013“Residencies for Artists and Writers, Photograph. Vermont Studio School.” Bomb Magazine 125 (Fall 2013)
- 2013“Working it out Exhibition.” Painting Center, (July 2013)
- 2013International Painting Annual 3 Exhibition in Print, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
- 2012“Abstract Art Contest.” Artist Portfolio Magazine, issue 8
- 2012“6th Annual Master Pieces Exhibition 2012.” Cincinnati, OH: Manifest Gallery
- 2012James, Damien. “Twenty in their twenties.” Art Voice Magazine (April 2012)
Collections
- The China Millennium Monument, Beijing, China
- Tao Hua Tan Artist Retreat, Anhui, China
- The Griffis Art Center, New London, CT
- State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
- Manhattan Graphics Center, New York, NY
- Private Collection, Yokohama, Japan
- Private Collection, Vancouver, Canada
- Private Collection, New York, NY
- Private Collection, Hoboken, NJ
- Private Collection, Baltimore, MD
- Private Collection, Dallas, TX
- Private Collection, Washington, DC
- Private Collection, Memphis, TN
- Private Collection, Sharon, CT
- Private Collection, Park City, Utah