Education
- 2010–2015/16 The University of Oxford (St John’s College), Oxford, UK – (the Lamb and Flag Scholarship)
- Doctor of Philosophy, Fine Art, The Ruskin School of Art
- 2008–2009 The University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
- Master of Arts, Textiles (Art), Winchester School of Art
- 2002–2006 Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran
- Bachelor of Arts, Carpets and Textiles (History and Practice)
- 2002–2004 The University of Media, Tehran, Iran
- Associate Degree (A.A.), Photography (Photojournalism)
Professional Qualifications
- Agile Objects: Teaching and Learning in Museums, Galleries, and Collections, series of workshops held at the Ashmolean Museum (funded by Andrew W Mellon Foundation) Oxford, UK, 2015
- Preparation for Learning and Teaching at Oxford (PLTO), The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford, 2011–2012
Academic Positions
- 2021 – now, Lecturer in Persian Studies, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Oxford
- 2017–2021 Instructor/Tutor, The Oriental Institute, The University of Oxford, UK
- 2019–2020 Executive Secretory of Commission of The Middle East (IUAES)
- 2018 Teaching Fellow, The Ashmolean Museum, The University of Oxford, UK
- 2017–2018 Visiting Research Fellow, The Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), UCL, London, UK
- 2017 Visiting Lecturer, Department of Asian and African Studies, National Research University, Higher School of Economics (HSE), St Petersburg, Russia
- 2016 Instructor/Tutor, The Oriental Institute, The University of Oxford, UK
- 2014–2015 Instructor/Tutor, Sessions for students (A Level) and their teachers, The London Centre for Languages and Cultures (LCLC): Pembroke College Oxford, The Open University, and William Morris Sixth Form, with funding from the London Schools Excellence Fund (supported by the Mayor of London and Department for Education), 6th November 2014 and 28 January 2015
- 2012 Tutor, Fine Art and Visual Communication (selected lectures at BA level), HK Buddhist College/China (Summer School in the UK at Brasenose College – Oxford), Oxford, UK
- 2011–2012, Tutor Fine Art (BA level), The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford, UK
One (two) Person Exhibitions
- O Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2024 (forthcoming)
- Enclaves, The Kendrew Barn Gallery, Oxford, UK, 2023
- Cut from the Same Cloth‘(yekparche)’, O Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2020
- ‘Letters in Space’, Farniyaz Zaker and Václav Magid, National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) / the State Museum and Exhibition Centre “ROSIZO”, Kronstadt - St Petersburg, Russia, 2017
- ‘Something There Was That Must have Loved A Wall’, Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2016
- ‘Primeval Relationship’, The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2014
- ‘I.A.F. | Sharjah’, Sharjah Contemporary Art Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 2014
- ‘Re-Enveloped’, King Way’s Corridor, Goldsmiths College, London, UK, 2013
- ‘Repeated Return’, Dolphin Gallery, St John’s College, Oxford, UK, 2013
- ‘[HYPHENATED]’, Farniyaz Zaker and Jessica Draper, The North Wall Gallery, Oxford, UK, 2012
- ‘Pardeh’, Old Masters Study, The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford, UK, 2011
Selected Group Exhibition
- Artissima 2021, O Gallery, Turin, Italy, 2021
- CYLAND’, Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2019‘
- ‘ID’- an exhibition held in a fringe exhibition during the Venice Biennale 2019, Ca’Foscari Zattere, Venice, Italy, 2019
- ‘BEN HER ZAMAN ÖTEKİ’NİN ALANINDAYIM - The I is Always in the Field of the Other’, A Selection From Agah Uğur Collection, Müze Evliyagil , Ankara, Turkey, 2019
- ‘Kronstadt Stories—3. Slowness’, curated by Elena Gubanova, Lydia Griaznova, State Museum of the History of St Petersburg (Saint Petersburg Museum of Printing) August – September, 2018
- ‘Hit Parade – Sculpture Project’, Museo dell'Auto, Turin, Italy, November 2017 – March 2018
- ‘Animali Notturni – The Dark Side of Life’, IAAD. Bologna, Italy, 2018
- ‘The Slow Disappearance Of Meaning and Truth’, curated by Eleonora Angela Maria Ignazzi & Francesca Pich, Paratissima 12 – Artissima, Turin, Italy, 2016
- ‘Fortress Man’, Mark Rothko Museum and Art Centre, Daugavpils, Latvia, November 2015 – January 2016
- ‘Contemporary Istanbul International Art Fair | 2015’, Istanbul, Turkey, 2015
- ‘A House Is Not A Hotel’, Pi Artworks Gallery, London UK, 2014
- ‘8° International Arte Laguna Prize’, Arsenale di Venezia, Venice, Italy, 2014
- ‘The Wall of Europe’, Paese Museo, San Sperate, Sardinia, Italy, 2013
- ‘Mapleton Bree Prize’, Kendrew Barn, St John’s College, Oxford, UK, 2013
- ‘WEYA’, UK Young Artists, Bonington Gallery | Nottingham Trent University, UK, 2012
- ‘Rewind Pause, Fast Forward: Mirrors on Iran’, Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2012
- ‘mise–en–scène’, Etemad Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2012
- ‘In site’, The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK, 2012
- ‘Ruskin Shorts’, Phoenix Cinema, Oxford, UK, 2012
- ‘International Print Biennale’, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, UK, 2011
- ‘Power House’, The Old Power Station-Osney, Oxford, UK, 2011
- ‘Surplus to Requirements?’, Slade Research Centre and Gallery, UCL, London, UK, 2011
- ‘The Art of Nurture’, Lloyds TSB, Bristol, UK, 2010
- ‘10 Days at the Laundry’, The Yard, Old Hyde Laundry, Winchester, UK, 2009
- ‘THIS LEADS HERE’, Winchester Gallery, Winchester School of Art, UK, 2009
- ‘The Art of Nurture’, Lloyds TSB, Watershed Gallery, Bristol, UK, 2009
- ‘in-between (MA show)’, Winchester School of Art, Winchester, UK, 2008
- ‘Shafaghi Tabriz Prize’, Niyavaran Palace, Tehran, Iran, 2006
- ‘Kaveh Golestan Photojournalism Prize’, Khane Honarmandan Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2003
- ‘World Art and Worship’, Niyavaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2002
- ‘The First Festival of Art For Art Students’, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran, 2002
Selected Fellowships and Art Residencies
- 2018 Teaching Fellow, The Ashmolean Museum, The University of Oxford, UK
- 2017–2018 Visiting Research Fellow, The Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), UCL, London, UK
- 2017 Artist in residence, National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA) / the State Museum and Exhibition Center “ROSIZO”, St Petersburg, Russia
- 2015 Artist in residence, Mark Rothko Museum and Art Centre, Daugavpils, Latvia
- 2013 Artist in residence, Paese Museo, No Arte – The Wall of Europe, San Sperate Sardinia, Italy
- 2012 Artist in residence, WEYA: UK Young Artists, Nottingham, UK
- 2004 Artist in residence, Marine, See and Navigation Organization, Chabahar, Iran
Grants, Awards and Prizes
- Grant, Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre (ONGC), Oxford, UK, 2020
- Winner of the Hit Parade Art Prize, Paratissima 12 – Artissima, Turin, Italy, 2016
- Special Grants – St John’s College (The University of Oxford), Oxford, UK, 2014
- Finalist at Arte Laguna Prize (Installation and Sculpture Section), Venice, Italy, 2014
- Award (covering production costs) – Sharjah Museum of Contemporary Art, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 2014
- The Lamb and Flag Scholarship, St John’s College (The University of Oxford), Oxford, UK, 2011–2013
- For the pursue of Doctor of Philosophy: it covered university fees and living costs
- Selected for The State of Art (Installation and Sculpture Section), Bare Hill Publishing House, London, UK, 2013
- Award (covering production costs) – Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, UK, 2013
- Special Grants – St John’s College (The University of Oxford), Oxford, UK, 2012
- Grant – The Ruskin School of Art, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2012
- Finalist at ‘WEYA’, UK Young Artists, Nottingham, UK, 2012
- Winner of the Birgit Skiold Memorial Trust Prize, International Print Biennale, Newcastle, UK, 2011
- Regional Finalist at Lloyds TSB, Art of Nurture, Bristol, UK, 2009 and 2010
- Finalist at ‘Shafaghi Tabriz’, Art and Design Competition, Niyavaran Palace, Tehran, Iran, 2006
- Finalist at ‘Kaveh Golestan Photojournalism Competition’, Khane Honarmanda Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2003
- Finalist at ‘World Art and Worship, Photography Competition’, Niyavaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2002
- Winner of the first prize in Photography at the First Festival of Art for Art Students, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran, 2002
Publications (Articles, Reviews and Interviews)
- ‘Urban Space as a White Canvas: The Politics of Architecture and Fashion in Twentieth-Century Iran’, Farniyaz Zaker, to be submitted to Iranian Studies, forthcoming, (8000 words)
- ‘Stalinist cultural diplomacy towards Iran: Soviet orientalists at the 1934 Ferdowsi millennial celebration in Tehran’, Farniyaz Zaker and Matthias Battis, to be submitted to Third Text, forthcoming, (6000 words)
- ‘Jenseits:Place, Dwelling and Art Practice’, Farniyaz Zaker,Oxford Artistic and Practice-Based Research Platform (OAR), Issue 1 (2017),pp. 111–117. (2500 words)
- An interview with Farniyaz Zaker, Made in Mind Magazine, edited by Francesca Pirillo and Dario Carotenuto, Autumn 2016, Issue 8, pp. 25–37. (1200 words)
- ‘A Room Without Boundaries: Ai Weiwei At The Royal Academy Of Arts’, Farniyaz Zaker, Home Cultures Journal,Issue 13:2, 2016, pp. 221–223. (1500 words)
- ‘Bolgeler Ve Sinirlari Acan Sanatci’, an interview with Farniyaz Zaker by levant Ozata, Istanbul Art News, January 2016, p. 22. (1000 words)
- ‘Home, Displacement, and the Body: Mona Hatoum at Tate Modern | London’, Farniyaz Zaker, Romulus Magazine (The Journal of Wolfson College), 2016, pp.12–13. (1500 words)
- ‘Words and Walls, Texts and Textiles’, Mariam Motamedi Fraser and Farniyaz Zaker, Theory Culture & Society Journal, 2015, Vol. 32(3), pp. 115–134. (8200 words)
- ‘Earthly Paradise: Identity // and Place’, Farniyaz Zaker, Oculus Magazine -The Journal of the Edgar Wind Society For Art History,Hilary 2015, pp. 37 and 46–47. (1500 words)
- ‘Dealing With an Image: Representation of Iranian Women in Iranian Contemporary Art’, Farniyaz Zaker, aRm Magazine (The Ruskin Magazine), Third Issue, April 2013, pp.14–15. (1500 words)
- ‘Umutlu Kaygi Arasında’, an Interview with Farniyaz Zaker by Meltem Yilmaz, Cumhuriyet Newspaper: Kultur Sanat, 2 Temmuz 2012, p. 6. (1000 words)
- ‘Parmaklikarin Arkasina Bir Medeniyet’, an interview with Farniyaz Zaker and Mahmud Bakhshi by Firat Demir, Art Unlimited, issue18, 2012, pp. 112–113. (1500 words)
Conference Talks / Public Lectures
- ‘Stalinist Cultural Diplomacy Towards Iran: Soviet Orientalists at the 1934 Ferdowsi's millennial celebration in Tehran’, University of Exeter, April 2019
- ‘Russo-Iranian relations through the prism of the life of Fatemeh Sayyah’, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, August 2019
- ‘Architecture and Place in Classical Persian Miniature Painting’, Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), University College London (UCL), March 2018
- ‘Urban Space as a White Canvas: The Politics of Architecture and Fashion in Twentieth Century Iran’ I U A E S, Commission on the Middle East, Visual Culture, Law and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa, Krakow, Poland, August 2016
- ‘Something There Was That Must Have Loved A Wall’, a conversation between Farniyaz Zaker and Ceren Arkman, Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, January 2016
- ‘Continuity and Change: Iran’s Architecture as a Unified Space’, OCMS, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, October 2015
- ‘Architecture of Iran: From Metaphysical Places to Physical Non-Places’, St John’s College (The University of Oxford), Oxford, UK, 2015
- ‘Words and Walls, Texts and Textiles: A Conversation’, a conversation between Farniyaz Zaker and Dr. Mariam Motamedi Fraser, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, UK, 2013
- ‘Representation of Women in Iranian Contemporary Art’, Cultural Identities In Art and Art Practice, GOA Project, Brasenose College, The University of Oxford, December 2012
- ‘The Veil as Architecture: Conceptualisation and Genderisation of the Private and Public Space in Iran’, Women’s Rights Research Seminar, St Antony's College, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2012
- ‘Diasporic Iranian Art: A Response to the Social and the Political Idiosyncrasies Inside Iran’, WSA Graduate School Conference, Winchester School of Art, The University of Southampton, Southampton, UK, 2010
- ‘Middle Eastern Garden Designs’, WSA Graduate School Conference, Winchester School of Art, The University of Southampton, Southampton, UK, 2009
Curation & Organization of Exhibitions and Symposiums
- ‘Anthropology of Art and Architecture’, panel–seminar, I U A E S, Commission on the Middle East, Visual Culture, Law and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, 2017
- ‘Something There Was That Must have Loved A Wall’, Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2016
- ‘[HYPHENATED]’, The North Wall Gallery, Farniyaz Zaker and Jess Draper, Oxford, UK, 2012
- ‘In Site: Exhibition and Symposium’ (Art as a Mode of Enquiry), The Ashmolean Museum, The Ruskin School of Art, and St John’s College, Curating Committee, Oxford, UK, 2012
- ‘Power House’, Old Power Station–Osney, Curating Committee, Oxford, UK, 2011
Designs and Commissions
- Milad Tower – commissioned by the Municipality of Tehran and MTE UAE to design carpets of the interiors of Milad Tower, 2007–2008
Zaker’s designs are in numerous public buildings and hotels in the UAE and Iran, including Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Hyatt Hotel Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Renaissance Hotel, Dubai Marriott Hotel, Dubai IBIS Hotel, Dubai Novotel Hotel, Laleh and Homa International Hotels in Tehran. Design books for textiles and carpets, exhibited at the Domotex – Interior Design Fair, Hanover, Germany, 2007 and 2008.
Languages
English (fluent); Persian and Azeri (native); Spanish, German, and Arabic (good knowledge)