Raha Rastifard

Biography

Lives and works in Stockholm

Raha Rastifard is an Iranian-German artist who lives and works in Stockholm. Through a wide range of media, such as photography, sculpture, painting, video, and installation, she explores themes of identity and cultural heritage. Her work often incorporates references to literature, philosophy, and art history. In her highly lyrical art, she creates works full of (trans)cultural, poetic, and historical art references.

Her work as an artist is based on narrating a story. Her art has no nationality; she believes that art does not recognize borders or nations, it can travel freely. She strongly believes in interculturalism, and her message of art is universal.

Rastifard holds a BFA from the National University of Art in Tehran as well as an MA in European and Islamic Art from Freie Universität in Berlin. She has also attended a couple of post-master courses at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm (2015 – 2018). Recent solo and group exhibition venues include Ebelingmuseet, Eskilstuna (2023), Borås Bright Art, Borås Konstmuseum (2023), Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm (2022), Berg Gallery, Stockholm (2021), and Östergötlands museum, Linköping (2019). Additionally, her work has been shown in a large number of exhibitions throughout Europe, Asia and North America, including venues such as the Pergamon Museum, Berlin, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, Museo Ex-Teresa Arte Actual, Mexico City, Malmö Konsthall, and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, Tokyo.

Rastifard was awarded the 2021 IASPIS residency scholarship and received the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s two-year working grant the following year. Her works are represented in the collections of Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Borås Konstmuseum, Östergötlands Museum, Stockholm Konst, and Region Stockholm (Stockholm County Council), to name a few.

CV

Education

2017-2018 The advanced course Architecture, at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden

2015-2016 Postmaster course in Fine Arts for professional artists at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden

2014 Professional training in museum management

2011 Master's degree in history of European Art and Islamic Art, Master's degree in Iranian Culture and Literature at the Free University FU, Berlin, Germany

2000 Bachelor of Fine Arts at the national University of art, Tehran, Iran

Awards and Grants

2022 Konstnärsnämnden / Swedish Arts Grants Committee, two-year working grant

2021 Residency vid IASPIS. Det internationella programmet inom Swedish Art Grants-kommittén.

2018  Konstnärsnämnden / Swedish Arts Grants Committee, one-year working grant

2014-15 Internationell Kulturutbyte grant, Konstnärsnämden, Sweden

2013 Selected “If it isn’t too dark” for the International Museum of Women, MIOW, USA

2009 Finalist for “Freedom to Create Prize”, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England

Commissions

2022 "The Third Line", Light sculpture, Borås Art Museum

2021 “Hamnars hjärta”, 400th anniversary Norrtälje

2021 "Himmels Passagen" tunnel under Tycho Hedéns väg, Uppsala kommun

2020 "The Fifth Element", Light sculpture, Östergötlands museum, Linköping

2019 “The Hanging Lotus Garden” Danderyds sjukhus Stockholm, Sweden

2017 “Tribute to Movement”, Norsborg Metro Station, Stockholm, Sweden

2017 “The Aurora” Norrbyskolan, Örebro, Sweden

Solo Exhibitions

2025 Berg Gallery ”Lost Memory”, Stockholm

2023. Ebelingmuseet, “Rest in Natural Great Peace”, Eskilstuna,

2022 Konstpaus #12, “ Suffering” Stockholm Konst, Stockholm

2021 Berg Gallery, "Rest in natural great peace", Stockholm

 2021 Grafiska sällskapet, Stockholm

2020 Konstfrämjandet Bergslagen, Örebro, Sverige

2015-2016 AREA 52 Gallery, a Story written with Water, Stockholm, Sweden( 2 persons in separate Rooms) 

2015 “The Book of Longing” Mixed Media, Photography, WHITECONCEPTS Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2011 “I & …” Photo series, Azad Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran

2008 “Tuba”, Mixed media exhibition, Futura Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2007 “Tuba”, Mixed media exhibition, Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany

2004 Traces of Existence, Painting, Schillerpalais Gallery, Berlin, Germany 

Selection Group Exhibitions

2024 “Kontur”, Danske Grafikeres gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark

2023 ”Ghost in the Machine” - curated by Erik Berglin, Berg Gallery, Stockholm

2022 “Borås Bright Art “- International light art in the urban space and at Borås Art Museum, Borås

2022 Enter Art Fair w. Berg Gallery, Tunnelfabrikken, Copenhagen, Denmark

2021 ”Pyramid of Democracy”  Levande Stockholm, Stockholm konst summer exhibition

2020 Liljevalchs vårsalong, Stockholm, Sverige

2018-2019 "Femte Elementet", Östergötlands museum, Linköping 

2017 GRAFIK 2017, Oskarshamns konsthall, Sweden

2017 Lady Dada Kalam's WHITE CUBE, Berlin, Germany

2016 Avesta Art, Avesta, Sweden

2016 Music Art, Stockholm, Sweden

2016 Kunstquartier Bethanien Berlin, Germany

2016 Nordens Ljus Gallery, kungsholmsstrand, stockholm

2015 The Pergamon Palais, Berlin, Germany

2015 ARTmART, Vienna, Austria

2015 REEL & IMAGINED, Maison de la Culture de Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal, Canada

2015 House of Taswir, a Story written with Water, curated by Shulamit Çoruh, Berlin, Germany

2015 “Suffering”, Sundsvalls Konstförening, Sundsvalls, Sweden

2015 Video art by 19 Iranian women, curated by Alysse Stepanian, Pori Art Museum, Finland

2014 Video art by 19 Iranian women, curated by Alysse Stepanian, Malimö Konsthall, Sweden

2013 Stockholm Photography Week, Fotografiska Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

2013 A paradigm shift, curated by Uta Koch-Götze, Kunsthalle Brennabor, Germany

2013 Selected "If it isn't too dark" Photo series for the International Museum of Women, MIOW, USA

2013 Video art by 19 Iranian women, Museo Ex-Teresa Arte Actual, Mexico City, Mexico

2013 Video art by 19 Iranian women, Digital Art Festival Fondland , Coimbra, Portugal

2012 The Last Tango in Tehran, Sharzad Gallery, New York, USA

2012 The universe is built on a plan, curated by Nicole Loeser, Savvy Contemporary, Berlin, Germany

2011 “I & …” Photo series, Exhibit 320 Gallery, Delhi, India

2011 The Third Eye, curated by Raul Zamudio, Other Gallery, Shanghai, China

2011 The End of the Dream, curated by Nicole Loeser, MicaMoca Project, Berlin, Germany

2010 The Stalking of Absence, curated by Shaheen Merali, Tokyo Gallery + BTAP Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2010 Tuba, mixed media exhibition, Ana Tzarev Gallery, New York, USA

2010 Twice is too much, curated by Shaheen Merali, Free Museum, Berlin, Germany

2010 BERUF Künstlerin, curated by Uta Koch, Bonn, Women's Museum Bonn, Germany

2010 The hair, curated by Uta Koch, Futura Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2009 Tuba, mixed media exhibition, Freedom to Create Prize, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

2009 1001 Night, mixed media exhibition, WhiteBox Gallery, Munich, Germany

2009 Culture of Torture, Torture in Culture, video art “Suffering”, Artneuland Gallery, Berlin, Germany 

Art Fairs

2022. Enter Art Fair w. Berg Gallery, Tunnelfabrikken, Copenhagen, Denmark

2018 Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, Sweden

2017 Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, Sweden

2016 Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, Sweden

2015 ARTmART, Vienna, Austria

2010 Tokyo Photo, Tokyo Gallery + BTAP Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2011 India Art Summit, Exhibit 320 Gallery, Delhi, Indian

Collections and Museums Represented

Pergamon Museum, Berlin, DE

German Bundestag, Berlin, DE

Freie Universität, Berlin, DE

Boras Konstmuseum, Boras, SE

Östergötlands Museum, Linköping, SE

Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening (SAK), SE

Stockholm Konst, SE SL, Stockholm, SE

Stockholms Läns Landsting (SLL) / Stockholm County Council, SE

Region Norrbotten / Norrbotten County Council, SE

Nortälje kommun / Norrtälje Municipality, SE

Uppsala kommun / Uppsala Municipality, SE

Various private collections

Prints

Stockholms läns landsting, Uppsala kommun, Östergötlands läns landsting, Umeå kommun, Jönköpings läns landsting, Västerås konstmuseum, Kronobergs läns, Norrbottens läns landsting, Jämtlands läns landsting, Vetlanda kommun, Västra Götalands regionen, Södermanlands läns landsting, Dalarnas läns landsting, Riksdagsförvaltningen

Projekt organisation

2014              The Persian poetry text, in the catalogue Malihe Afnan, Gallery Kornfeld, Berlin

2005-2010    Museum-expert in Museum for Islamic art Berlin, Germany

2005              Assistance and production of the film “A Film about Belief”, Berlin

2000              Founded and Curator of the artists group “Artists without Borders” Tehran, Iran

Professional Experience

Active as a contemporary mixed media artist, sculptor, installation artist, Photographer, video artist, drawer, new media, and printmaker