Maria Kheirkhah is an artist who works with installation and performance to investigate systems of knowledge, power and culture.
In much of her work, Kheirkhah explores issues of identity and cultural dissonance through installation, film,photography and performance. Born and raised in the North of Iran, Kheirkhah first travelled to the UK in 1979 where she pursued her art education, specialising in sculpture and obtained her M.A. at the University of Central England in 1997.
She travelled back to Iran in 1988, teaching at two major universities in Tehran, Alzahra University and The Academy of Arts. Since her return to the UK in the early 1990s, she has exhibited extensively both in the UK and internationally.
Selected solo exhibitions in London include: ‘The Anatomy Of Ignorance III’, Tate Britain; ‘The Psychology of Fear,’ 198 Gallery; ‘The Anatomy Of Ignorance I,’ Tate Modern and ‘Chasing Dreams,’ SOAS.
Her numerous group shows include: 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, Greece, ‘New Territories,’ Lisbon, Portugal; ‘Looking at others,’ Umjetnicki pavilion, Zagreb, Croatia; ‘Versus VI,’ Velan Centro Darte Contemporanea, Turin, Italy; The Chisenhale Biennale, London; Art East Biennale , Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; ‘Heroes & Holies,’ Ev+a biennale, Limerick City Gallery, Ireland; ‘Stories of 2002 nights,’ Briggite March Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany; ‘Contemporary art,’ The Museum of Contemporary Arts, Tehran, Iran,
She is currently working on two extensive bodies of work under the titles of ‘The Anatomy of Ignorance’ and ‘Portraits of a Belly Dancer’. Kheirkhah lives and works in London.