✦ Niyousha Aghakasiry

Peek-a-View
Still photos from the video installation
Single-channel video installation on fabric, 2025

Glimpses of the experience: Click here to watch on Instagram
More information in Peek-a-View (Projects)

CV

Niyousha Aghakasiry

ak.niyousha@gmail.com

Art, for me, is inseparable from living. Each project becomes a way of understanding myself and the world with more clarity. I work experimentally, guided by intuition and curiosity rather than predetermined outcomes.
I’m interested in creating works that invite the audience’s imagination to take the lead. One of the ways I do this is by shaping my work so that it can literally be seen differently from different angles. In this way, perception itself becomes part of the artwork.
My practice is interdisciplinary, and I work across mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, cyanotype printmaking, installation, performance, and video. Rather than committing to a single material language, I allow the ideas within each project to determine the medium.
Conceptually, my work is driven by an ongoing curiosity about the nature of the self, existential questions, our relationship with nature, and insights from neuroscience. I see living as a continuous developmental experiment, and my artistic practice becomes a space where this experiment can unfold, be observed, and reimagined.

Education

Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design ( 2025 - present )
Hanze University
Frank Mohr Institute
Academie Minerva / Minerva Art Academy
Groningen, The Netherlands

Bachelor of Science (2014 - 2019)
Architectural Engineering
University of Science and Culture
Tehran, Iran

Selected Group Shows

2025, Title: iRAP Flash Show - Prins Claus Conservatorium - Groningen, Netherlands
2024, Title: Detmolder Design Woche – Bruchstrase 34 – Detmold, Germany
2023, Title: Frau, Leben, Freiheit; Eine Revolution – Stadtbibliothek – Detmold, Germany
2023, Title: The Turning Point - Sateen Festival (SATEEN Annual of Visual Arts) – Online
2023, Title: Abacus (Open theme) – Fresh Salad Art – International Virtual Exhibition
2023, Title: 1 Hundred by Hundred (C1en por Cientos) – La Fabrica Terminal - International Virtual Exhibition
2023, Title: Memory – Ehsan Art Gallery (With the Co-operation of LAMAKETA Cultural Foundation) – Tehran, Iran
2020, Title: A.F.G. – Arthibition Gallery – Online
2015, Title: The Thing (Chiz in Farsi) - Installation Art at University of Science and Culture – Tehran, Iran

Participatory/Performative Projects

Before We See ( 2025 )
Groningen, NL
Artist-led, participatory project exploring sensory perception by temporarily blocking sight; documented as a two-part video series (in progress).

The Treasure Map Project ( 2024 – ongoing )
Interdisciplinary participatory project, collaborating with psychologist Mehrdad Alianfini, bridging art and psychology .

Press

2023, Luphyr Magazine – Issue no. 4 (Includes 3 of Niyousha AghaKasiry’s artworks alongside the statement)

Projects [ Time-based projects or projects with video documentation are marked with an asterisk (*). ]

Peek-a-View
Interactive Video Installation
Prins Claus Conservatorium
Groningen, The Netherlands
December 2025

Before We See*
Artist-led Participatory Art Project
Groningen, The Netherlands
November 2025

The Following Project
Ongoing Project
Groningen, The Netherlands
(2025 - present)

First Encounter*
Painting Performance
In Collaboration with Minoo Kiani
Mehrdad Jafari’s Studio
Tehran, Iran
2023

Self-Portraits
Ongoing Project
(2015 - present)

Emotional Disclosure
Painting with Cyanotype Materials
2023

The Invisible Violence*
Video art
Duration: 1:50
2024

Drawings
Ongoing Project
(Various Periods)

Obscura*
Video art
Duration: 1:01
2025

Digital Paintings
Ongoing Project
(2020 - present)

The Female Body in the Mirror of Self-Rediscovery (My Body)*
Experimental performance + video art
In collaboration with Baran Rezaee
Performance by Niyousha Aghakasiry & Baran Rezaee
Video edited by Niyousha Aghakasiry
Tehran, Iran
2023

Family Archive (Paintings & Papier-mâché)
Mixed Media
2019

Waves of Hope*
Video art
Duration: 1:19
2024

Taboo
Mixed Media on Cardboard
2019

Through The Cracks*
Video art
Duration: 1:41
2025

Peek-a-View*

_{Peek-a-View invites you to discover new ways of seeing your surroundings… whether by looking behind an object, noticing reflections and distortions along the way, or remaining curious enough to find your own alternatives.

This interactive video installation consists of a montage of short videos; some recorded through reflective surfaces and transparent materials such as plastic bottles and magnifying glasses. The work was projected onto a wavy curtain that physically distorts the image. Viewers were invited to use a set of objects presented as eyewear to observe both the projection and their surroundings, introducing multiple layers of mediation and perception.}

Before We See*

_{This project originated during a series of walks with my partner in which we intentionally focused on one sense at a time. As we walked, we discussed what we were experiencing through each sense and exchanged ideas related to it. Each sense remained the focus of our walks for several weeks before shifting our attention to the next.

Inspired by this process, I developed a participatory project that explores perception by temporarily removing sight. Participants were invited to blindfold themselves in two situations: first, by sitting in a public street, and second, by walking blindfolded with the assistance of a friend. Through these simple actions, the project investigates how the absence of vision reshapes awareness of the surrounding environment and disrupts habitual ways of experiencing everyday life. The experience was documented, and editing of the two-part video is currently in progress. The work will be available upon request once the editing is finished.}

First Encounter*

_{Cognition or imagination? Which one is closer to our
perception of a person when we first encounter them?

The process of getting to know someone is mysterious. With
each conversation and further communication, our perception of a new person
becomes clearer, but it never fully captures his/her true essence. How can we
truly understand each other when we are constantly changing over time? Getting
to know each other is a continuous journey that lasts as long as we live. We
have no choice but to repaint the perception we have of each other in order to
get closer to reality.

Minoo Kiani and I conducted an experiment in which we recorded a video of
ourselves painting self-portraits without looking at the sheet. Later, in a
private studio (Mehrdad Jafari’s Studio), we stood in front of each other's videos and painted each
other. Eventually, my image of her overlapped with her
self-perception/self-portrait. The same thing happened with my self-image and
her perception of me.

Watch the full painting performance on YouTube.
Watch the original recorded and edited video (shown during the performance) here.}

Self-Portraits

_{I see self-portraits as a way of seeing oneself and the world. An artist can show their way of seeing the world by depicting how they see themselves. I find this process very experimental. In each series of my self-portraits, I've taken an experimental approach to discover a new viewpoint without knowing what's to come. The process begins in a peaceful mindset where I have extra time and mental space to dedicate to this discovery without external pressure. I start by photographing myself and, within this quiet environment, gradually find my way through the work; like catching a fish from the deep ocean, as David Lynch mentions in his book "Catching the Big Fish". Since I see my self-portrait series as an ongoing process rather than separate works, I present selected images from all of them here under the subject of self-portraits.}

Emotional Disclosure

_{The human mind is a complex system, and research shows that people often have limited introspective access to their own thoughts and emotions. This lack of self-knowledge can contribute to misinterpretations and misunderstandings in social interactions.
Improving self-awareness can be life-changing. To achieve this, we need to connect with our feelings and learn to recognize and understand them. Moreover, being honest with ourselves and with those we care about can help us live more peacefully and with fewer misunderstandings.

Emotional Disclosure is a series of paintings that explore different emotions through facial expressions.
I created this series primarily using cyanotype materials.}

Instagram