cv

Education

• 2010–2015/16 The University of Oxford (St John’s College), Oxford, UK – (the Lamb and Flag Scholarship)

-        Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Fine Art (Practice and Theory)

• 2008–2009 The University of Southampton, Southampton, UK           

-        Master of Arts (MA) in Textile Design  

• 2002–2006 Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran                                        

-        Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Carpets//Textiles (Practice and Theory)   

• 2002–2004 The University of Media, Tehran, Iran

-        Associate Degree (A.A.) in Photography (Photojournalism) 

Professional Development

• 2020 How to Teach Online? – Workshop, Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Liverpool, UK
• 2015 Agile Objects: Teaching and Learning in Museums, Galleries, and Collections – Series of workshops held at the Ashmolean Museum (funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), Oxford, UK
• 2011–2012 Preparation for Learning and Teaching at Oxford (PLTO) – The Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, UK

Teaching 

• 2023 – ongoing, Lecturer in Persian Studies, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, UK
• 2015–2023 Lecturer (part-time), Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, UK
• 2020–2023 Lecturer (part-time), Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre, The University of Oxford, UK
• 2018 Teaching Fellow, The Ashmolean Museum, 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
• 2012 Lecturer (selected lectures in Fine Art and Visual Communication at the BA level), HK Buddhist College/China (Summer School at Brasenose College – Oxford), Oxford, UK
• 2012–2014 Tutor (selected tutorials in Fine Art at the BA level), The Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, UK

 One (and Two) Person Exhibitions

• 2024 Between Ornament and Structure, Barvinskyi Gallery, Vienna, Austria
• 2024 Fault Lines, O Gallery, Tehran, Iran
• 2023 Enclaves, The Kendrew Barn Gallery, Oxford, UK
• 2020 Cut from the Same Cloth (Yekparche), O Gallery, Tehran, Iran
• 2017 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 (two-person)
• 2016 Something There Was That Must Have Loved a Wall, Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2014 Primaeval Relationship, The Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
• 2014 Puppets, exhibited as part of the Islamic Arts Festival (I.A.F.) at the Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
• 2013 Re-Enveloped, King’s Way Hall, Goldsmiths College, London, UK
• 2013 Repeated Return, Dolphin Gallery, St John’s College, Oxford, UK
• 2012 [HYPHENATED], Farniyaz Zaker and Jessica Draper, The North Wall Gallery, Oxford, UK (two-person)
• 2011 Pardeh, Old Masters Study, The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford, UK                                             

Selected Group Exhibitions, Art Fairs and Biennales

• 2024 LICHTFEST Krems, Austria
  
• 2024 Paper Positions Art Fair, O Gallery, Berlin, Germany
• 2021 Artissima Art Fair, O Gallery, Turin, Italy
• 2019 CYLAND, Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design, Saint Petersburg, Russia
• 2019 Venice Biennale, ID (as part of CIFEST-12: ART: TECH Exhibition) - 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 - curated by: Beral Madra, Müze Evliyagil, Ankara, Turkey
• 2018 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
• 2017–2018 Hit Parade – Sculpture Project, Museo dell'Auto, Turin, Italy, November 2017 – March 2018
• 2018 Animali Notturni – The Dark Side of Life, IAAD, Bologna, Italy
• 2016 The Slow Disappearance Of Meaning and Truth, curated by Eleonora Angela Maria Ignazzi & Francesca Pich, Paratissima 12, Turin, Italy
• 2015–2016 Fortress Man, Mark Rothko Museum and Art Centre, Daugavpils, Latvia, November 2015 – January 2016
• 2015 Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair, Pi Artworks, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2014 A House Is Not A Hotel, Pi Artworks Gallery, London, UK
• 2014 8° International Arte Laguna Prize, Arsenale di Venezia, Venice, Italy
• 2013 The Wall of Europe, Paese Museo, San Sperate, Sardinia, Italy
• 2013 Mapleton Bree Prize, Kendrew Barn Gallery, St John’s College, Oxford, UK
• 2012 WEYA, UK Young Artists, Bonington Gallery | Nottingham Trent University, UK
• 2012 Rewind Pause, Fast Forward: Mirrors on Iran, Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2012 Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair, Etemad 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
• 2011 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, London, UK
• 2010 The Art of Nurture - Lloyds TSB, Watershed Gallery, Bristol, UK
• 2009 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
• 2008 in-between (MA show), Winchester School of Art, Winchester, UK
• 2006 Shafaghi Tabriz Prize, Niyavaran Palace, Tehran, Iran
• 2003 Kaveh Golestan Photojournalism Prize, Khane Honarmandan Gallery, Tehran, Iran
• 2002 World Art and Worship, Niyavaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran
• 2002 The First Festival of Art for Art Students, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran

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 Centre “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 Organisation, Chabahar, Iran

 Grants, Awards, Prizes, and Scholarships

• Grant: LICHTFEST Krems, Austria, 2024
• Letter of Recognition for Outstanding Teaching – Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre (ONGC), University of Oxford, UK, 2021
• Grant for Syllabus and Teaching Material Creation – Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre (ONGC), University of Oxford, UK, 2020
• Winner of the Hit Parade Art Prize – Paratissima 12, Turin, Italy, 2016
• Special Grant – St John’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2014
• Finalist – Arte Laguna Prize (Installation and Sculpture Section), Venice, Italy, 2014
• Award (covering travel and production costs) – Sharjah Museum of Contemporary Art, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, 2014
• The Lamb and Flag Scholarship (for pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy – covering university fees and living costs) – St John’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2011–2013
• 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 Grant – St John’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2012
• Grant – The Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 2012
• Finalist at ‘WEYA’ – UK Young Artists, Nottingham, UK, 2012
• Winner of the Birgit Skiöld Memorial Trust Prize – International Print Biennale, Newcastle, UK, 2011
• Regional Finalist – 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 Honarmandan Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2003
• Finalist at ‘World Art and Worship, Photography Competition’ – Niyavaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2002
• Winner of First Prize in Photography – First Festival of Art for Art Students, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran, 2002

Publications

• Farniyaz Zaker, “Facile Contemporariness: Modernist Architecture and Dress Reform in Early Pahlavi Iran,” submitted to Journal of Design History (forthcoming).
• Farniyaz Zaker, “Between Ornament and Structure: Carpets in Modern Art and Architecture,” Textile Museum Journal, Volume 51, November 2024.
• Farniyaz Zaker, “Jenseits: Place, Dwelling and Art Practice,” Oxford Artistic and Practice-Based Research Platform (OAR), Issue 1, 2017, pp. 111–117.
• Farniyaz Zaker, “A Room Without Boundaries: Ai Weiwei at The Royal Academy of Arts,” Home Cultures Journal, Issue 13:2, 2016, pp. 221–223.
• Farniyaz Zaker, “Home, Displacement, and the Body: Mona Hatoum at Tate Modern | London,” Romulus Magazine, 2016, pp. 12–13.
• Mariam Motamedi Fraser and Farniyaz Zaker, “Words and Walls, Texts and Textiles,” Theory, Culture & Society Journal, 2015, Vol. 32(3), pp. 115–134.
• Farniyaz Zaker, “Earthly Paradise: Identity and Place,” Oculus Magazine - The Journal of the Edgar Wind Society for Art History, 2015, pp. 37 and 46–47.
• Farniyaz Zaker, “Dealing with an Image: Representation of Iranian Women in Iranian Contemporary Art,” aRm Magazine (The Ruskin Magazine), Third Issue, April 2013, pp. 14–15.

Selected Interviews 

• Farniyaz Zaker and Francesca Pirillo, “An Interview with Farniyaz Zaker,” Made in Mind Magazine, Autumn 2016, Issue 8, pp. 25–37.
• Farniyaz Zaker and Levant Ozata, “Bölgeler ve Sınırları Aşan Sanatçı,” Istanbul Art News, January 2016, p. 22.
• Farniyaz Zaker and Meltem Yilmaz, “Umutlu Kaygı Arasında: An Interview,” Cumhuriyet Newspaper: Kültür Sanat, 2 July 2012, p. 6.
• Farniyaz Zaker, Mahmud Bakhshi, and Firat Demir, “Parmaklıkların Arkasına Bir Medeniyet: An Interview,” Art Unlimited, Issue 18, 2012, pp. 112–113.
• Farniyaz Zaker, Elnaz Farajollahi, and Jenny Hewett, “Iranian Art at Gallery Etemad in Dubai: Interview,” Time Out Dubai, 10 July 2012.

Selected Conference Talks / Public Lectures

• "Between Ornament and Structure: Carpets in Modern Art and Architecture", George Washington University-Textile Museum, 2025
•  "Between Ornamment and Structure" - Barvinskyi Gallery -Vienna 2024
• “Stalinist Cultural Diplomacy Towards Iran: Soviet Orientalists at the 1934 Ferdowsi's Millennial Celebration in Tehran” – University of Exeter, UK, 2019
• “Russo-Iranian Relations Through the Prism of the Life of Fatemeh Sayyah” – Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, 2019
• “Architecture and Place in Classical Persian Miniature Painting” – Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), University College London (UCL), UK, 2018
• “Urban Space as a White Canvas: The Politics of Architecture and Fashion in Twentieth Century Iran” – IUAES: Commission on the Middle East, Visual Culture, Law and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa, Krakow, Poland, 2016
• “Something There Was That Must Have Loved a Wall: A Conversation Between Farniyaz Zaker and Ceren Arkman” – Pi Artworks Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2016
• “Architecture of Iran: From Metaphysical Places to Physical Non-Places” – St John’s College, University of Oxford, UK, 2015
• “Re-Enveloped: Words and Walls, Texts and Textiles” – A Conversation Between Farniyaz Zaker and Mariam Motamedi Fraser, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK, 2013
• “Representation of Women in Iranian Contemporary Art” – Cultural Identities in Art and Art Practice, GOA Project, Brasenose College, University of Oxford, UK, 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, University of Oxford, UK, 2012
• “Diasporic Iranian Art: A Response to the Social and Political Idiosyncrasies Inside Iran” – WSA Graduate School Conference, Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, UK, 2010

Curation & Organization of Exhibitions and Symposiums

• The Middle East from the Margin, Commission of the Middle East (IUAES), Institut Français d'Études Anatoliennes (IFEA) and Orient-Institut, Istanbul, Turkey – September 2022 (Executive Secretary)
• The Reinvention of Traditions in the Middle East, Commission of the Middle East (IUAES), Orient-Institut, Istanbul, Turkey – 2021 (Executive Secretary)
•  Anthropology of Art and Architecture, Panel Chair, IUAES, Commission of the Middle East, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland – 2017
• [HYPHENATED] – The North Wall Gallery, curated by 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, Oxford, UK – 2012 (Curating Committee)
• Power House – Old Power Station, Oxford, UK – 2011 (Curating Committee)

Designs and Commissions

• Milad Tower – Commissioned by the Municipality of Tehran and MTE UAE to design the carpets for the interiors of Milad Tower, 2007–2008.
• Public Buildings and Hotels – Zaker’s designs are featured in numerous public buildings and hotels in the UAE and Iran, including:
  • Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Dubai, UAE
  • Hyatt Hotel Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi, UAE
  • Dubai Renaissance Hotel, Dubai, UAE
  • Dubai Marriott Hotel, Dubai, UAE
  • Dubai IBIS Hotel, Dubai, UAE
  • Dubai Novotel Hotel, Dubai, UAE
  • Laleh Hotel, Tehran, Iran
  • Homa International Hotels, Tehran, Iran
• Pattern Catalogues for Textiles and Carpets – Exhibited at Domotex – Interior Design Fair, Hanover, Germany, 2007 and 2008.

Languages

English (fluent); Persian (native), Azeri Turkish (native); Ottoman Turkish (reading and comprehension skills); Arabic, Spanish and German  (good knowledge)