Shirin Abedinirad
Shirin Abedinirad | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Tabriz, Iran |
| Occupation(s) | Contemporary artist, assistant professor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Known for | Mirror-based installation art, conceptual art, land art |
Shirin Abedinirad (born 1986) is an Iranian contemporary artist and currently serves as an assistant professor at Utah Valley University. She is acclaimed for her expansive mirror-based installation art, along with her contributions to conceptual art and land art, which delve into themes of nature, spirituality, and visual perception. Since 2024, she has held the position of Assistant Professor within the Department of Art & Design at Utah Valley University. In 2023, Abedinirad appeared in Ali Ahmadzadeh's film Critical Zone, a work honored with the Golden Leopard award at the Locarno Film Festival.
Early life and education
Born in 1986 in Tabriz, Iran, Abedinirad began her artistic journey through painting in 2002. She obtained an Associate Degree in Graphic Design from Ardabil Vocational College for Girls between 2003 and 2005. Later, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design at Shariaty Technical College in Tehran from 2009 to 2014, where her thesis explored the intersection of conceptual art and fashion design.
In 2013, she took part in a visual arts workshop led by the Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. From 2021 until 2024, she pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art at Michigan State University, culminating in her thesis project titled "Reflective Journey."
Artistic practice
Abedinirad’s artistic approach centers on site-specific installations that incorporate mirrors and reflective surfaces to generate optical illusions, bridging natural settings with human sensory experience. Her works frequently employ geometric shapes inspired by Islamic architecture, particularly forms such as ziggurats and pyramids, which she envelops with mirrors to reflect and fragment the environment around them.
Her creative vision seeks to evoke "a transcendental experience" through the manipulation of light, reflection, and spatial dynamics, aiming to "connect the earth to the sky" while encouraging reflection on humanity’s bond with nature.
Academic career
In 2024, Abedinirad commenced her role as Assistant Professor at Utah Valley University within the Department of Art & Design, where she instructs courses including Fiber Art, Sculpture III, and 3D Design. Prior to this appointment, she served as Instructor of Record for Three-Dimensional Form at Michigan State University during 2022–2023.
Major installations
Her inaugural large-scale outdoor installation, Narcissus (2013), presented a mirrored spiral staircase situated in Iran's Central Desert. This was soon followed by Evocation (2013), also located in the Central Desert, both establishing her distinctive use of mirrors to craft illusions amid natural landscapes.
In 2014, while awarded a scholarship at the Fabrica Research Centre in Italy, she produced Heaven on Earth, marking a transition of her mirror installations into interior spaces. Her international recognition expanded significantly with Mirrored Ziggurat (2015) showcased at the Underbelly Arts Festival on Sydney’s Cockatoo Island, attracting extensive media coverage.
Collaborating with Italian designer Gugo Torelli in 2015, she created Babel Tower, one of her most iconic pieces—a pyramidal mirrored structure that rotated to generate kinetic reflections. This work was later featured on the cover of Siraj Ahmed’s book "Archaeology of Babel: The Colonial Foundation of the Humanities," published by Stanford University Press.
Her piece Revision (2018) was exhibited at Australia’s Lorne Sculpture Biennale, while Reflective Journey (2023–2024) has been presented internationally, including at Japan’s Oku-Noto Triennale and as a virtual reality installation at Art Dubai Digital.
Film career
Abedinirad made her acting debut in 2023 with Ali Ahmadzadeh's film Critical Zone (), which earned the prestigious Golden Leopard award at the Locarno Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a groundbreaking and thought-provoking cri de coeur."
Selected installations
- Narcissus (2013) – The inaugural outdoor installation set in Iran’s Central Desert
- Evocation (2013) – Located in Iran’s Central Desert
- Heaven on Earth (2014) – Presented at Fabrica, Treviso, Italy
- Mirrored Ziggurat (2015) – Featured at Underbelly Arts Festival, Cockatoo Island, Sydney, Australia
- Babel Tower (2015) – Created in partnership with Gugo Torelli
- Revision (2018) – Exhibited at Lorne Sculpture Biennale, Australia
- Tide (2019) – Displayed during Swell Sculpture Festival, Currumbin Beach, Australia
- The Magic of Reflection (2022) – Installed at Istanbul Airport, Turkey
- Reflective Journey (2023–2024) – A multi-site installation project
Solo exhibitions
- 2024: Reflective Journey, Kates-Ferri Projects Gallery, New York (curated by Micaela Giovannotti)
- 2023: Reflective Journey, Sanji Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (curated by Juli Cho Bailer and Micaela Giovannotti)
- 2022: Women Hair Freedom, Kresge Art Center, Michigan State University
- 2022: Collective Reflection, Girls Monastery, Trabzon, Turkey (curated by Ayca Okay)
Selected group exhibitions
- 2024: Art Field Nanhai 2024, Public Art, Foshan, China
- 2024: Creative Confluence, Philips Los Angeles, California
- 2023: Heaven on Earth #3, Lumiere Festival, Durham, United Kingdom
- 2022: On the Edge of Senses, Times Art Museum, Beijing and Chengdu, China
- 2018: I SEE, I AM, SETAREH X Gallery, Düsseldorf (curated by Shahram Karimi)
- 2017: In Between (Part II): So Far, Mana Contemporary (curated by Shahram Karimi)
- 2016: One Belt One Road Visual Arts Exhibition, Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery (alongside Yayoi Kusama and Joana Vasconcelos)
- 2016: The Absence of Paths, Tunisian Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) (curated by Lina Lazaar)
Publications
Awards and recognition
- 2024: ArtPrize Installation Public Award, Grand Rapids, USA
- 2024: Featured Public Projects Grant awarded by ArtPrize
- 2024: Frederik Meijer Gardens Sculpture Grant through ArtPrize
- 2023: Honorable Mention for Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Awards from the International Sculpture Center
- 2023: Recipient of several fellowships from Michigan State University including the Dissertation Completion Fellowship
- 2014: Scholarship from Fabrica Research Centre, Treviso, Italy
- 2010: Winner of the inaugural Global Online New Face Casting for Benetton
Selected bibliography
Abedinirad’s creations are documented in prominent publications such as:
- Petry, Michael. Mirror: Mirror – The Reflecting Surface in Contemporary Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 2024.
- Banks, Grace. Art Escapes: Hidden Art Experiences Outside the Museum. Berlin: Gestalten, 2022.
- Mestaoui, Linda. Green Art: La nature, milieu et matière de creation. France: Editions Alternatives Gallimard, 2018.
Her work has been highlighted in leading media outlets including Wired magazine, The Paris Review, as well as international periodicals from Germany, Switzerland, France, and Mexico.