Hoda Zarbaf (1982-2020) was an Iranian-Canadian artist, who produced over 50 multimedia sculptures, compositions and installations in the span of her short-yet-significant career. Born in Tehran, she received her BFA in Painting from University of Tehran faculty of Fine Arts, followed by her first MFA with a focus on Animation at Tehran University of Art, and a second master in Digital Media from University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada). Through her practice, Zarbaf raised the notion of memory, stitching found items that have individual human traces in them: used socks, youtube videos, worn T-shirts, home movies, restock monitors, dated audio, human hair, orphan dolls, and abandoned furniture. She brought together discarded, forgotten—and seemingly useless—domestic objects, fusing them with newly formed ceramics, lights, sounds, videos, or patchwork elements to confront nostalgia in a contemporary context. The uncanny and absurd characters of her pieces reference the basic human emotions that are derived from lack: fear, vulnerability, desire, pain, and melancholy.
Over the years, these multimedia, whimsical sculptures have traveled internationally to cities like Berlin, Hamburg, New York, and Vancouver; some have been showcased in museums like Toronto’s AGO and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. They are also reported on by the global press, including BBC, CBC, The Guardian, and Hi-fructose Magazine. In 2019, Hoda Zarbaf was featured in 100 Sculptors of Tomorrow ; a year later, on November 29th, 2020 she passed away quietly at home nine days after her final solo show, titled Honey, I am home!
Online Media
www.hodazarbaf.com
EDUCATION
2008-2010 Master of Fine Arts, University of Windsor | Windsor, Canada
2005-2008 Master in Animation, Tehran University of Art | Tehran, Iran
2001-2005 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, University of Tehran | Tehran, Iran
Posthumous EXHIBITIONS
2021 Video Art Installation, “Front Camera/Back Camera”, Curated by Sanam Samanian, Onsite Gallery (OCAD University, Toronto), The Bridge & Tunnel Gallery (Brooklyn, New York), Ab-Anbar Gallery (London), Park Hub (Milan), Dastan Gallery (Tehran), Yavuz Gallery (Sydney), International Presentation
2021 Group Exhibition, “Seemingly Playful”, Curated by Maximilian Homaei, Yavuz Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Solo EXHIBITIONS
2020 “Honey, I am home”, Curated by Sanam Samanian, Dastan Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2018 “we’re image making machines.”, Curated by Sanam Samanian, Aaran Projects Gallery, Tehran
2016 “Floral Compositions: Travellers of Time”, Curated by Sanam Samanian, Aaran Gallery, Tehran
2015 “Transmutation”, Curated by Sanam Samanian, Governors Island Art Fair, New York, USA
2015 “Soft Souls”, Curated by Sanam Samanian, Walnut Contemporary Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2010 “[un]veiling”, Art LeBel Gallery, Windsor, Canada
2005 “Before Birth Project”, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Group EXHIBITION
2020 “Distribution of the Sensible”, Curated by Takin Aghdashloo, Azad Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2020 “Anti-home”, Darbast Gallery, ApexArt Project, Curated by Elnaz Tehrani+Anahita Rezaallah, Tehran, Iran
2020 “Habitat”, Bavan Gallery, Curated by Zahra Ghiasi, Tehran, Iran
2019 “Wedded Tissues”, Installation for Persbook 8th, Curated by Neda Darzi+ Negar Farjiani
2019 “Revision”, Installation, Bavan Gallery, Curated by Takin Aghdashloo, Tehran, Iran
2018 “Tehran Sculpture 7th Biennial”, Tehran MOCA, Tehran, Iran
2017 Tanawo Festival Affenfaust Galerie, hamburg, Germany
2017 “Strange Worlds”, Curated by Nicoletta Torcelli, Kunstraum Waschhaus Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
2017 “Hot Dog Car Wash”, Curated by Julia Prudhomme, Campbell River Art Gallery, Vancouver Island, Canada
2017 “Pair”, Knack Gallery, Curated by Neda Darzi, Tehran, Iran
2016 “Bedlam and Balance”, Curated by Magda Gonzales , Art Yard, New Jersey, USA
2016 “Iran x Cuba: Beyond the Headlines”, Curated by Roya Khadjavi, Rogue Space Chelsea, New York, USA
2015 “Recall”, Curated by Raquel Vilhena, Walnut Contemporary Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2015 “Feminist Art Conference”, Curated by Ilene Sova, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada
2015 “The International Festival of Authors”, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada
2015 “Visual Arts Exhibitions Fall 2015”, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada
2015 “The Word on The Street Festival”, Commissioned Installation, Toronto, Canada
2015 “Materialize”, Curated by Deborah Wang and Greg Sims, Craft Ontario, Toronto, Canada
2015 “Dressing Room Project”, Fashion & Art Toronto, Toronto, Canada
2015 “Installation Zone”, Artist Project Contemporary Art Fair, Toronto, Canada
2015 “On The Wild Side”, Gallery1313, Toronto, Canada
2014 “Equinox 14”, Makeworks, Toronto, Canada
2010 “Horizon”, Stat Gallery, Detroit, USA
2010 “MFA Group Show”, Art LeBel Gallery, Windsor, Canada
2010 “I get more frightened when I see how scared you are!”, Art Gallery Of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
Awards
2017 Canada Council for the Arts Grant
2016 Canada Council for the Arts Grant
2015 Toronto Art Council Visual Arts Grant
Experience / Residencies
2018 Artist Talk, Fibre Arts in Contemporary Context, Persbook Art, Tehran, Iran
2017 Artist Talk, On Latifa Echakhch, Power Plant,Toronto, Canada
2015 Artist Talk, Fiber Arts Now, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada
2015 Panel Discussion, Feminist Art Conference, Toronto, Canada
2014 Shortlisted for London International Creative Competition
2008-10 Graduate Assistant, (Undergraduate Painting/Drawing Studios), University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
2005-7 Painting Instructor, Mah Contemporary Art studio, Tehran, Iran
2001-2 Persian Art Instructor, Feresteh High school, Tehran, Iran
Media / Editorial
2022 Darz Online, The 11th Event of Persbook’s Annual Contemporary Art Event, Iranshahr Gallery| Tehran, Iran
2021 Unravelling Women’s Art, Creators, Rebels and Innovators in Textile Arts, P.L Henderson, Supernova Books
2021 Honaronline, ”Works by Iranian artists on view at “Seemingly Playful” exhibit | August Online Edition
2019 100 Sculptors of Tomorrow, Kurt Beers, Thames & Hudson | London, UK
2019 Beyond Exhibition, Sanam Samanian, MRP, OCAD University | Toronto, Canada
2018 An introduction to Iranian contemporary Art, Hamid Keshmirshekan, Nazar Publications | Tehran, Iran
2018 Darz Hoda Zarbaf | Tehran, Iran
2016 NDTV, Artists Are Mirrors Of The Times They Live In: Story Of Iran | India
2016 BBC Farsi, “New York welcomes IranXCuba – Beyond the Headlines exhibition” | London, UK
2016 The Power Plant – Sunday Scene – Programs & Events – The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery – Harbourfront Centre | Toronto, Canada
2015 BL!SS Magazine, Featured Artist of the Month | July print Edition
2015 Now Magazine, “Female Forms Fascinate” | April print Edition
2015 CBC French Radio, Artist Interview on “Soft Souls” | Canada
2015 Toronto Life Magazine “Check Out Some Feverish, Feminist Fabric Sculptures” | April online Edition
2015 Hi-Fructose Magazine, “Hoda Zarbaf Examines Women’s Intimate” | February Online Edition
2015 For Example Magazine, “Hoda Zarbaf‘s Sculptures” | January Online Edition
2015 365artists 365days, Interview with Hoda Zarbaf | January Online Edition
2014 Designer Daily, “Recycled Textiles Sculptures by Hoda Zarbaf” | December Online Edition
2014 DZine Trip, “Artist Hoda Zarbaf Reimagines An Orgasm Made of Fabric” | December Online Edition
2014 Saatchi Art, “Breaking the Mold: New Sculpture” | December Online Edition
2014 artistaday.com, Hoda Zarbaf: Artist of the day | November Online Edition