For Display
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Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi, a contemporary painter and calligrapher, was born in 1968 in Qom, Iran. She was raised in a culturally engaged family; her father, Abdolrahim Bakhshayeshi, is a scholar of religion and Islamic studies. Aghighi began her artistic career in calligraphy and gradually developed a contemporary and personal visual language by drawing on the aesthetic potential of Islamic script, ultimately working in the field of calligraphic painting. She holds a BA in Graphic Design and received the highest distinction in calligraphy from the Iranian Calligraphers Association. Her undergraduate thesis in 1992, completed under the supervision of Nasrollah Afjei, marked a turning point in the formation of her distinctive artistic approach. Her first international appearance was in the group exhibition Iranian Women Artists in Kuwait. In 2005, she received the Saadi Award in New Delhi, where she simultaneously held a solo exhibition at the Islamic National University. Over more than three decades of continuous practice, Aghighi has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iran and internationally, with her works shown in cities such as Tehran, Paris, London, Vienna, Dubai, and New York. Her works are held in major collections including the British Museum, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, the Saudi Art Museum in Riyadh, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, as well as numerous private collections worldwide.
Resume
Born: 1968 , Qom, Iran
Education and Qualifications
1994 – BA in Graphic Design
1984 – ممتاز Degree (Calligraphy), Iranian Calligraphers Association, Tehran
Solo Exhibitions
2022 – “In the Beginning Was the Word” (Part II), Shoaleh Abghari Gallery, Marbella
2020 – Works of Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi, Homa Gallery, Tehran
2018 – Black on Dark, Homa Gallery, Tehran
2016 – Galaxy Series, Homa Gallery, Tehran
2014 – Artist’s Manuscripts, Homa Gallery, Tehran
2013 – Homa Gallery, Tehran
2011 – Homa Gallery, Tehran
2007 – Qur’anic Works, Cultural Office of Khorramabad, Iran
2005 – Light and Reed, Assar Gallery, Tehran
2005 – Qur’anic Works, Islamic National University, New Delhi, India
Group Exhibitions
2026 – Global Dialogue: Contemporary Iranian Art in Conversation (1979–2026), Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence
2024 – Freshness of Repetition, Homa Gallery, Tehran
2022
Selected 6, Negar Gallery, Tehran
Selected 5, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2021
Opportunity, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran
Liam Collection, Liam Gallery, Tehran
Turning Point 4, Liam Gallery, Tehran
Turning Point 3, Liam Gallery, Tehran
Once Upon a Time, Foundry, Dubai
Selected 4, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2020 – Selected, Negar Gallery, Tehran
2019 – Shabtab 7, Azad Art Gallery, Tehran
2018 – Spring of Form and Color, Gooya Gallery, Tehran
2017 – Shabtab 3, Azad Art Gallery, Tehran
2012
Iranian Art, Opera Gallery, London
Alternative Calligraphy 2, Vienna Art Fair, Austria
2009 – Ahdaniet Festival, Ehden, Lebanon
2004 – Iranian Women Artists, Kuwait
2003 – International Handicrafts Exhibition, Kish Exhibition Center, Iran
Awards and Honors
2009 – Award, Fajr Conceptual Art Exhibition, Tehran
2006 – Winner, Tajrish Symbolic Sculpture Design Competition, Tehran
2005 – Saadi Award (First Edition), New Delhi, India
Collections
2015 – British Museum, London
2010 – Royal Collection of Qatar, Doha
2009 – Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
