Shiva Ahmadi

Shiva Ahmadi (b. 1975) is an Iranian-American multimedia artist who borrows from the artistic traditions of Iran, the Middle East and India to critically examine global political tensions and social concerns. Having come of age in the years following the Iranian Revolution and the subsequent Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, Ahmadi moved to the United States in 1998, and has been based in California since 2015. Ahmadi obtained a BFA in Painting from Azad University in 1998. She then moved to the USA to attend Wayne State University, MI and received a Master of Arts in Drawing (2000) and a Master of Fine Arts in Drawing (2003). In 2005, Ahmadi earned an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Arts, MI. Solo exhibitions include: Shrine Room, Rubin Museum of Art, New York, NY (2019), and Ascend by Shiva Ahmadi, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA (2017). Group exhibitions include: Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet, Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (2021); Epic Iran, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2021); and the 2013 Venice Biennale Small Works Project. Her work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Asia Society Museum, NY; DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL; Farjam Collection, Dubai; and more. Ahmadi is currently represented by Haines Gallery, San Francisco and Gallery Rosenfeld, London.