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Morehshin AllahyariIranian-Pakistani new media artist, educator, curator and activist
Country:
 Iran |
Content:
- Early Education and Artistic Journey
- Artistic Practice and Themes
- Notable Projects
- "Material Speculation: ISIS" (2015)
- "Dark Matter" (Ongoing)
- Achievements and Recognition
Morehshin Allahyari: Exploring the Complexities of Identity, Censorship, and Technology
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, amid the Iran-Iraq War, Morehshin Allahyari developed a keen interest in art from an early age. Realizing the power of storytelling, she excelled in creative writing during her childhood.
Early Education and Artistic Journey
Allahyari pursued a bachelor's degree in social sciences and media studies at the University of Tehran (2003-2007). In 2007, she moved to the United States and enrolled at the University of North Texas, where she earned a Master's degree in new media arts (2007-2009).
Artistic Practice and Themes
Allahyari's artworks critique her native Iran while connecting its imagery to the capitalist West. Using technology as a philosophical tool, she employs poetic techniques to document "the personal and collective life we are living and our 21st-century human struggles." Her work often explores political, social, cultural, and gender norms.
Notable Projects
"Like Pearls" (2014)This project comprises a curated collection of "glitchy masses" of Persian-language spam messages containing romantic and sexual content. Allahyari gathered these spam emails that were often advertisements for lingerie. The resulting layered GIFs depict pulsating hearts, blooming flowers, flying birds, and fluttering butterflies—symbols that are used in Iranian commerce to censor and simultaneously sexualize the female body.
"Material Speculation: ISIS" (2015)
A combination of computer-generated and 3D-printed art, this project examines the relationship between 3D printing, plastics, oil, technocapitalism, and jihad. In "The Missing: Rebuilding the Past" exhibition at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Allahyari recreated twelve artifacts destroyed by ISIS in 2015. Each replica contained a USB drive and/or memory card with data compiled by Allahyari, including images, maps, videos, and PDFs. While other artists in the exhibition used their work to document war violence, Allahyari took a future-oriented approach. She sought to connect with others who could digitally reproduce her data and build their own 3D models, as a form of resistance.
"Dark Matter" (Ongoing)
This two-part project addresses censorship in Allahyari's native country and the broader global context. The first series involves 3D-printing objects that are banned or "unwanted" in Iran. The second series is dedicated to NASA, with the intention of sending these 3D-printed objects to the International Space Station. By recontextualizing "unwanted" items in different cultural and temporal contexts, Allahyari explores notions of cultural relativity and oppression.
Achievements and Recognition
2015: Autodesk Award2015: Special Prize at the Florence Biennale
2016: "Everything in Between" solo exhibition at the Sacramento Art Center
Allahyari's groundbreaking work continues to raise awareness about censorship, digital colonialism, and the intersection of art and technology. Her artistic contributions have earned her international acclaim, solidifying her position as a leading voice in the contemporary art world.
