About
Mehdi Darvishi is a multi-disciplinary artist that his practice spans from traditional printmaking and wooden sculptures to interactive paintings and site-specific installations. He was born in the summer of 1988, coinciding with the Iran – Iraq peace resolution. In his war-stricken hometown, Mehdi grew up unexposed to art galleries and museums. In 2007 he left home to earn a BFA in Painting at the University of Tehran. After receiving his degree in 2011, his interest in printmaking grew into a life's pursuit. He has since exhibited in over 30 countries and has participated in more than three hundred global exhibitions, competitions, residencies, and as a visiting artist. His works have been widely collected by museums such as the China Printmaking Museum, the Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Art, Jyvaskyla Museum of Fine Arts, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, and the US Library of Congress.
He has served as a visiting artist at several renowned art institutions worldwide, including the New York Academy of Art, the University of British Columbia, the Katowice Academy of Art, and the University of Belgrade. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the City University of New York–College of Staten Island.
His accolades include the Grand Prix of the 9th BIECTR, Second Place at the Premio Jesús Núñez, Special Award at the Premio Leonardo Sciascia, the Southern Graphics Conference Fellowship, and the Pritzker Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago among other honors. He was also nominated for the prestigious Prix Mario Avati from the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2023. He currently lives and works in New York City, where he serves as a Studio Technician at MGC Community Print Studio at Powerhouse Arts.