Tooraj Khamenehzadeh

Tooraj Khamenehzadeh (born 1976, Qazvin, Iran) is an Iranian-born visual artist, curator, and arts organizer based in New York City. His practice incorporates photography, video, and installation, often drawing on his background in theater.

Early life and education

Khamenehzadeh initially pursued theater but, under family and social pressures, studied computer engineering instead, which caused him to set aside theater. During this time, he turned to photography, which soon became his primary medium. He moved to Tehran, drawn by the city’s larger art scene. In 2007, he participated in the Triangle Arts Trust's International Workshopin Kashmir, India, organized by KHOJ, an experience he later described as transformative. He subsequently joined further international artist residencies and interdisciplinary programs, which shaped his later interest in and commitment to fostering international dialogue through arts programs that brought together artists, writers, and curators across disciplines and borders. He later moved to New York, where he earned an MFA in "photography, video, and related media" from the School of Visual Arts.

Artistic practice

Khamenehzadeh’s practice explores themes of solitude, memory, transformation, and the human condition, often engaging with broader social and political contexts. Informed by his early work in theater, he incorporates performative strategies and frequently combines staged and documentary approaches in his photography and video projects. His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions and featured in biennales, museums, art fairs, and publications internationally, including in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States.

Exhibitions

  • 2024–2025 – The Drift Of Apagi: The Way of Water, Wind, and Stars, 4th Jeju Biennale, Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju Island, South Korea
  • 2024 – Photo London Art Fair, Roya Khadjavi Projects and Nemazee Art Foundation, London, UK
  • 2024 – Milan Image Art Fair, Roya Khadjavi Projects, Milan, Italy
  • 2022 – I Shouted My Laughter To The Stars, Aicon Gallery, New York, USA
  • 2021 – My Very Favourite Things, The Lodge Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
  • 2020 – Now&After International Video Art Festival, Moscow, Russia
  • 2019 – I'm Not a Song to Be Sung, Pasio, Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
  • 2017 – The 2nd Changjiang International Photography and Video Biennale, Curated by Bisi Silva, Chongqing Museum of Contemporary Art, Chongqing, China
  • 2016 – Mardaa Mard, Lajevardi Foundation, Tehran, Iran
  • 2015 – The World Viewed, IGREG Gallery, Tehran, Iran
  • 2014 – Apprehension Jungle, Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
  • 2014 – Daily Farm on the New Silk Road, Xinjiang Museum of Contemporary Art, Xinjiang, China
  • 2013 – By Iranian Contemporary Photographers, Mellat Gallery, Tehran, Iran
  • 2013 – A Review of a Decade of Video Art in Iran, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran
  • 2010 – Peripheral Reality, Azad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
  • 2009 – Voice of Vision, Spéos Gallery, Paris, France
  • 2009 – Between Hope and Chaos, Monnaie de Paris, France
  • 2009 – Separating Myth from Reality - Status of Women, International Art Festival, Siddhartha Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • 2008 – 11th Iran Photo Biennial, Saba Cultural Center, Tehran, Iran
  • 2007 – 5th Annual Image Celebration, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran
  • 2006 – I have been here..., Mahe-Mehr Gallery, Tehran, Iran
  • 2005 – 9th Iran Photo Biennial, Saba Cultural Center, Tehran, Iran
  • 1999 – 2nd Student Festival of Film, Scenario and Photography, Tehran, Iran

Curatorial and organizational work

Beyond his artistic practice, Khamenehzadeh has been involved in founding arts initiatives and curatorial projects. He was a founding member of the Rybon Art Center (2008–2017) and the Kooshk Residency (2014–2019), two Tehran-based platforms that supported interdisciplinary collaboration and international exchange. He co-organized the first Res Artis Annual Meeting in the Middle East (2016, Tehran), which brought together over 100 international artist residency leaders. He has also curated and co-curated exhibitions such as Haft Paykar (Seven Beauties) at Mohsen Gallery (2019, with Natasha Chuk) and Visual Dialogue between Switzerland and Iran at the Iranian Artists Forum (2013). In addition, he has served on selection committees and juries, including TADAEX06/NODE Exchange Program, the Kooshk Residency Awards, and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.

Honors and awards

  • 2023 FST Studio Projects Fund, New York, USA
  • 2021 City Artist Corps Grants, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York, USA
  • 2020 Honorable Mention, Now&After International Video Art Festival, Moscow, Russia
  • 2017-2018 Alice Beck-Odette Scholarship, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
  • 2015 ATSA Fellowship Program in Arts Management, Delhi, India & Berlin, Germany
  • 2011 Knowledge and Sharing Fellowship Program, Triangle Network: VASL Artists Collective, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 2006 Honorable Mention, 2nd Annual Prize of Kaveh Golestan Photo Festival, Tehran, Iran
  • 2004 First Prize, Regional Festival of Film and Photography, Qazvin, Iran
  • 2000 First Prize, Qazvin Photographers' Assembly, Qazvin, Iran

Further reading

  • 2020: Within the Spectrum of a Gaze, Tooraj Khamenehzadeh’s Inspired Tableaux Vivants, Review by Natasha Chuk, Photography Magazine, issue 6
  • 2014: Into the Apprehension Trap, review by Saleh Tasbihi, Tajrobeh Magazine, issue 256
  • 2014: Apprehension Jungle, review by Najaf Shokri, Herfe Honarmand, issue 51
  • 2013: Passing through Close Doors, review by Saleh Tasbihi, Tajrobeh Magazine, issue 208
  • 2007: Suspicious Existence, review by Hasan Rajabinezhad, Kargah Website, August 15