CV
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 )
Painting
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
Painting
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
2026, Title: To Be Frank - KEL30 - Haren, Netherlands
2026, Title: Framed - Ongering Kunsthandel - Groningen, Netherlands
2025, Title: iRAP 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
2026, Title: Framed - Ongering Kunsthandel - Groningen, Netherlands
2025, Title: iRAP 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 .
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 .
Projects [ Time-based projects or projects with video documentation are marked with an asterisk (*). ]
Lucid
Installation, variable dimensions
Haren, Netherlands
July 2026
Installation, variable dimensions
Haren, Netherlands
July 2026
Wa(l)king in a Dream - (Part I)*
Interactive Video Installation
Groningen, The Netherlands
December 2025
Interactive Video Installation
Groningen, The Netherlands
December 2025
Before We See*
Artist-led Participatory Art Project
Groningen, The Netherlands
November 2025
Artist-led Participatory Art Project
Groningen, The Netherlands
November 2025
The Following Project
Ongoing Project
Groningen, The Netherlands
(2025 - present)
Ongoing Project
Groningen, The Netherlands
(2025 - present)
First Encounter*
Painting Performance
In Collaboration with Minoo Kiani
Mehrdad Jafari’s Studio
Tehran, Iran
2023
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
Painting with Cyanotype Materials
2023
The Invisible Violence*
Video art
Duration: 1:50
2024
Video art
Duration: 1:50
2024
Drawings
Ongoing Project
(Various Periods)
Obscura*
Video art
Duration: 1:01
2025
Video art
Duration: 1:01
2025
Digital Paintings
Ongoing Project
(2020 - present)
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
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
Mixed Media
2019
Waves of Hope*
Video art
Duration: 1:19
2024
Video art
Duration: 1:19
2024
Taboo
Mixed Media on Cardboard
2019
Mixed Media on Cardboard
2019
Through The Cracks*
Video art
Duration: 1:41
2025
Video art
Duration: 1:41
2025
Lucid
Installation, 2026
When dreams feel real, reality begins to feel like a dream. When I say dream, I mean the vivid images you see while you’re asleep. At some point, I started questioning whether I was awake or dreaming, and many times, it turned out to be a dream. After that, I learned to stay with this feeling that I could be dreaming at any moment, where fleeting moments collide and make the fixed begin to feel alive. In the world I experience, everything is possible: light passing through moving water stays still, while shadows begin to come alive, as if everything is waiting to be seen differently.
So, if I may ask: are you dreaming now, or are you awake?
Wa(l)king in a Dream - (Part I) *
Interactive Single-channel video installation on fabric, 2025
The part I of this project 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*
Artist-led Participatory Project (+ Video Documentation), 2025
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.
The Following Project
Inspired by Vito Acconci’s work, I decided to follow random pedestrians through the streets of Groningen. Before beginning, I established a set of rules to create an ethical and legal framework for the act of following.
One of my main motivations was to temporarily suspend my existential freedom by deliberately giving up control over the direction of my walk. I created a framework in which, for a limited time, I could simply experience a path determined by a stranger. By surrendering this small act of decision making, I became both the follower and the participant in a structure I had designed myself.
Second, I wanted to discover the city through the element of surprise, encountering places and routes that I might not have chosen for myself. This was particularly relevant because I had just moved to Groningen, and the city was still relatively new to me. Following strangers allowed me to encounter the city through surprise, and unfamiliarity, and to use this deliberately constructed, almost experimental condition to experience another form of freedom through the temporary suspension of existential choice.
One of my main motivations was to temporarily suspend my existential freedom by deliberately giving up control over the direction of my walk. I created a framework in which, for a limited time, I could simply experience a path determined by a stranger. By surrendering this small act of decision making, I became both the follower and the participant in a structure I had designed myself.
Second, I wanted to discover the city through the element of surprise, encountering places and routes that I might not have chosen for myself. This was particularly relevant because I had just moved to Groningen, and the city was still relatively new to me. Following strangers allowed me to encounter the city through surprise, and unfamiliarity, and to use this deliberately constructed, almost experimental condition to experience another form of freedom through the temporary suspension of existential choice.
First Encounter*
Painting Performance (+ Video Documentation), 2023
In Collaboration with Minoo Kiani
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.