Keyvan Heydari Shovir - EMERGEAST
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Keyvan Heydari Shovir
b. 1985, Iran

Keyvan Shovir is an Iranian-American multidisciplinary artist and muralist born in Iran and currently based in the bay area. He is one of the pioneers of Iranian street art in Tehran, focusing and addressing social issues and political messages through Persian calligraphy and poetry.

He creates sculptural sound installations, murals, and paintings, to explore the poetic experience of the current political situation within narration and storytelling from the past and its juxtaposition with the present. All the narrations are rooted in his Iranian heritage through literature, history and Persian myth, language, and today’s pop culture.

Shovir received his BA in Painting from Azad Tabriz University of Tabriz, Iran, and his MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco. He has received many awards including, Art of Peace from Robby Poblete Foundation, Creative Activism Awards of Culture of Resistance, Rite Editions Gift in Memory of Seven Leiber Scholarship, and Murphy & Cadogan Art Award.

He has exhibited nationally and internationally at venues including Seyhoun Gallery in Tehran, Crewest Gallery in Los Angeles, i.d.e.a. Museum of Mesa, Arizona, SOMArts Culture Center, and Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco, Graffik Gallery in London. His works featured in various publications such as; LA Times, Arte Channel of France, HuffPost, Freitag.

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Credentials

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Over 30 international group exhibitions
Public mural placement
Media coverage
Award winner
Works on commission

CV

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Education

2016 California College of the Arts, Graduate degree
2006 B.A. Painting, Daneshgahe Tabriz, Iran


Solo Exhibitions

2018 'Seven Valleys', Lauren Marie Taylor and Keyvan Shovir Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, Oakland, California, USA
2017 'Play Space', California College of the Arts, San Francisco, California, USA
2009 Golzadeh Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 Paeez Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2007 Banafsheh Gallery, Tehran, Iran


Group Exhibitions

2020 'Bird, Nest, Nature', Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, California, USA
2019 'Space Between Space', Aggregate Space gallery, Oakland, California, USA
2019 'Once at Present', Contemporary Art of the Iranian Diaspora, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, California, USA
2018 'Bankgit Arise', Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California, USA
2018 'Art for Peace', Temple Art Loft, Vallejo, California, USA
2018 Commencement Exhibition, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, California, USA
2018 'Between escapes', SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
2018 CCA MFA Thesis Exhibition, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, California, USA
2018 'A Conversation on Race & Identity', LH Horton Jr Art Gallery, Delta College, Oakland, California, USA
2018 'Collaboration & Connection', Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, Oakland, California, USA
2017 7th Annual Misfit Maker Factory, Root Division Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA
2017 'Make Art/Work', College Avenue Galleries, Oakland, California, USA
2017 'Neighbors', Embark Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA
2017 The Murphy & Cadogan Art Awards, SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
2017 'The Introductions', Root Division Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA
2017 'Orium', Aggregate Space Gallery, Oakland, California, USA
2017 'Meet Them', MENArt Group, Hubbell Street Galleries, San Francisco, California, USA
2017 'Caped Crusaders and Everyday Heroes', i.d.e.a. Museum, Mesa, Arizona, USA
2017 Cities x EMERGEAST, Dubai, UAE
2015 'Rostam in Dreams', Rich Mix, London, UK
2015 'Rostam in Dreams', Iranian Urban Art, Graffik Gallery, London, UK
2014 'Unity', Southern Exposure, San Francisco, California, USA
2014 'Tehran to NY', TBA Brooklyn Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, USA
2014 'Calligraphies in conversation', Islamic Center of Northern California, Oakland, California, USA
2013 'My American-Islamic Beauty', Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2013 'Cover Up, The Face of Portraiture', Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2013 SOMArts Cultural Center, Speak Your Peace, SOMArts’ Curator & Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA
2012 Street art, Italy
2011 Portrait, Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2010 Much Love from Iran B&K Projects, Copenhagen, Denmark
2010 Group exhibition, Mehrva gallery, Tehran, Iran
2010 Streets of Iran, Los Angeles, California, USA
2009 Urban Jealousy Istanbul, Berlin, Germany
2009 Street art group exhibition, Mehrin Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 Visual Art Forum, Tabriz, Iran


Competitions

2009 First prize, Red Bull Graffiti Contest at Tehran Art and Architecture University, Iran


Films

2014 Mutiny of Colors, Documentary about Street Arts of Iran, Directed by Zeinab Tabrizy and Paliz Khoshdel
2010 Cultures of Resistance, Farbod shot documentary footage under the supervision of Lara Lee
2009 Graffiti Workshop, Tapesh TV
2008 Iranian Jackass Movies, Episode three, directed by Keyvan Shovir and Arash Farazmand
2007 Slowness, First person role Directed by Farbod Khoshtinat
2007 Here is Tehran, documentary about Iran’s graffiti-scene directed by Saeed Haddadi
2007 Iranian Jackass Movies, Episode two, directed by Keyvan Shovir and Arash Farazmand
2006 Iranian Jackass Movies, Episode one, directed by Keyvan Shovir and Arash Farazmand


Publications

TIME, Faces of Iran, Paolo Woods http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2007/paolo_woods_iran/
Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2009 by Raja AbdulRahim
Freitag 36, Germany
BBC Persian
Chelcheragh Magazine
Arte. TV, http://www.arte.tv/de/Kulturentdecken/tracks/20050106/1347380,CmC=1348042.htm,
Workshop at Tapesh TV, 2008
Workshop at Azad art Gallery, 2010, Tehran, Iran


Public Art

2020 In memory of George Floyd, Clarion Alley, San Francisco, CA
2015 In memory of Simin Daneshvar, Simin Behbahani and Forough Farrokhzad, Clarion Alley mural project, San Francisco, CA
2013 Persian Dreams, Clarion Alley mural project, San Francisco, CA
2013 Chinese poem, Chinatown, Sa Francisco, CA


Workshops and Talks

2018 Social space and public discourse in Iran, Stanford University, CA
2016 Social space and public discourse in Iran, Stanford University, CA
2014 Guest artist at Flag story series, SOMArt culture center, San Francisco, CA
2014 Urban Art and Iran, Stanford University, Visiting Artist
2013 Artist Talk, Speak Your Peace, curated by Justin Hoover, SOMArts, San Francisco, CA
2013 The Wall, Graffiti workshop, Azad Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran


Awards

2018 Art of Peace, The Robby Poblete Foundation Award
2017 Rite Editions Gift in Memory of Steven Leiber Scholarship
2017 The Murphy & Cadogan Art Awards
2017 CCA Scholarship, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2017 Fine Art Scholarship, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2016 Fine Art Scholarship, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2016 CCA Scholarship, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2009 First price of Graffiti Contest, Tehran Art and Architecture University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran