BIOGRAPHY

Zahra Hooshyar is a first generation, Iranian American artist currently based in California, but was born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. She attended the University of California, Davis where she earned her dual Bachelor of Art in Studio Art and Persian Studies in spring 2022. Making work that is both sculptural and functional, Hooshyar uses clay as a conduit to tell stories and bring people together to share stories and experiences.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Her body of work ranges from sculptural installations and ephemeral moments to fragile collisions of found materials, focusing on the idea of belonging and what it means to exist somewhere, false memories, and our interconnectedness through our human existence with the planet. Hooshyar finds herself uncovering stories of her ancestors, her current community, and the ecological spaces around her. Frequently asking the viewer to become the participant, Hooshyar is interested in art as an experience that should be seen and encountered through tactile interventions. Hooshyar finds great importance in preserving her Iranian-American culture through storytelling, investigation, and imagination.

Website: zhooshyarstudios.com  
Instagram: @zazahoosh