Sara Rahbar

Born 1976, Tehran Iran

Sara Rahbar was born in Tehran, Iran in 1976, but both the revolution in Iran and the start of the Iran Iraq war forced her to escape her birthplace. Rahbar went on to study Fine Art in London, and Design in New York. She has been a teaching artist, an art director, a film Photographer and a Production coordinator for various films and documentaries. Rahbar has also been a freelance photographer in Iran for several years. Her work has been shown in galleries and museums worldwide and reviewed and praised in a multitude of prominent publications.  Rahbar’s work has been featured on book covers, album covers and film festival posters.   She currently lives and works between New York and Iran.

Education

Central Saint Martins Collage of Art and Design (Fine Art)

Exhibition

2009

Artist in Exile , Arario Gallery, New York
Hilger Contemporary, Vienna
Tyler Art Gallery, New York
Unveiled: New art from the middle east,The Saatchi Gallery, London

2008

Galerie Hussenot, Paris
Letizia Cramer Galerie, Geneve Switzerland
In Transition Russia , National Centre of Contemporary Art, Moscow
In Transition Russia , Museum of Fine Arts, Ekaterinburg
XVA gallery, Bastakiya, Dubai
Everywhere is War (and rumors of war). Bodhi Art, Mumbai, India
On a clear day you can see forever, Hilger Contemporary, Vienna
Emerging Discourse: Multiple and Overlapping Contemplations from the Diaspora, Bodhi Art, New York
Raid Projects, Los Angeles
This Case of Conscience - Spiritual Flushing and the Remonstrance, Queens Museum of Art, New York
Regional Delicacies, Phillips de Pury & Company at the CAFIn collaboration with XVA gallery & Alef Magazine, Bastakiya, Dubai
Human Rights Awareness Tour, a traveling exhibition,
The Veil: Visible and invisible spaces, a traveling exhibition,
Persian Arts Festival: Weaving the Common Thread: Perspectives from Iranian Artists,
Queens Museum of Art, New York

2007

Continuity and Change: Islamic Tradition in Contemporary Art, The Williamsburg Art and
Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Hyphenation Exhibition, University of Maryland, Union Gallery, Maryland
Iranian Literary Arts Festival, Theater Artaud, San Francisco
Inclusion Exclusion, Bronco exhibit gallery Cal Poly Pomona, Los Angeles
Celluloid, Gallery One, San Francisco
Emergency Room, PS1 MoMA New York
Emergence, Current Gallery, Baltimore MD       
Beyond Persia, Gallery One, San Francisco
Changing Climate, Changing Colors 24 Contemporary Muslim Artists, Henry Street Settlement, New York

2006

Chicago Artist Month, Beyond Boundaries, Global Citizen, John Fluevog, Chicago
Everything, All at Once, QMA Biennial, Queens Museum of Art, New York
Nobody=s Enemy, Queens Museum of Art, New York
Great Neck Arts Center, New York (Awarded Honorable Mention)
The Shelter Rock Art Gallery, New York
BT, Brooklyn Lyceum, New York

2004

See Williamsburg, Lunar Base Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Experience

2008

Speaking engagement at The Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York
Teaching Artist, Queens Museum of Art, New York
Speaking engagement at The Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York
Work used for The 2008 Noor Film Festival, Los Angeles
Sandarbh U.S. International Artist residency, Moultrie Georgia
Teaching Artist Flushing Library, in collaboration with the Queens Museum of Art, New York

2007

Work featuring YAS (Iran's biggest name in Hip Hop) can be found through out the Internet. Documenting his life, and career for the past three years, has led to an album cover, as well as hundreds of publications, websites/interviews, music blogs, and video clips.
Speaking engagement at, El Museo del barrio, forum on immigration and museum education, New York
Teaching Artist , with the Queens Museum of Art, The New Americans Program,  New York
Speaking engagement at The School of Visual Arts, New York
Teaching Artist, Woman for Afghan Woman, New York
Artist and Art Director of the Persian Arts Festival, New York (2005-2007)
Film Photographer and Production Coordinator, Nobodys Enemy, Tehran Iran, New York (2005-2007)

2006

Teaching Artist, Professional Development Program for Correctional Educators,
Queens Museum of Art, New York
Teaching Artist Residency, Queens Museum of Art, New York
Artwork used for art therapy workshops for severely disabled children,
Queens Museum of Art, New York

2005

Freelance Photographer, Tehran, Iran (2005-Present)
Photographer for short film Nobody has a name Nobody, Tehran, Iran

Selected Articles

2008

• V magazine, by Ana Finel Honigman 2008
• Ninja Lab Magazine Issue#4 “Stand Alone “, by Pierre Cialdella September 2008
• Coloring outside the Lines Issue#4 ”by Melanie Madison, July 2008
• WestEast Magazine,” Persian Art “ by  Ren Wan 2008
Alef Magazine, “A Woman of Substance” by Ana Finel Honigman, March/April 2008
• Art Asia Pacific, Issue no. 57,” Sara Rahbar: Weaving the Flag” by Jaishri Abichandani, March/April 2008
• The Kuwait Review, “Hello Dubai” by Ana Finel Honigman, April 2008
• Artnet ,Hello Dubai, by Ana Finel Honigman, March 24th 2008
• Art Daily, Precursor to bill of rights makes its return, March 21st 2008
• Voice of America, January 25, 2008

2007

• Yen , The Art of War, by Rebecca Couche, issue 30 2007
• Iran Times , The Iranian American Artist be- gifts her work for the sake of Human Rights, Dec 14th 2007
• Oziran, “Art for the Sake of Humanity” by Sanaz Fotouhi, October 2007
• Payvand, “An Interview with Human Rights Artist Sara Rahbar” by Ali Moayedian, August 2007
• Shrug Magazine, “My Iran, I am not Ahmadine nejad, I am an Iranian, I am not President Bush, I am an American” by Oliver Shamlou, August 2007
• ABORT Magazine, “Abort Magazines NA talks with Controversial Iranian-American Artist Sara Rahbar” 6/25/07
• Payvand, “Profile: Sara Rahbar, Iranian-American Human Rights Artist” by Ali Moayedian, July 18 2007
• Sunday Magazine, “Sara Rahbar Attachments”
• Pars Arts, “Iranian Artists at the Queens Museum (II)” by Sepideh Saremi, January 17th 2007
• Pars Arts, “Sara Rahbar at the Queens Museum” by Sepideh Saremi, January 5th 2007
• PS1 MoMA, “Emergency Room” by Debora Gilbert
• Namak, “Contradicting Realities” by Monique Soltani, March 2007                       
• Payvand, “The Axis of Art & Culture?” by Ali Moayedian,February 28 2007
• Tehran, “Sara Rahbar the Iranian American Activist Artist” by, Shahbod Noori, February 2, 2007
• Venus Zine, “Sara Rahbar: The Activist-Artist” by Sheba White, January 2007                                  
• Time Out New York, “Queens International: Everything All At Once” by Kate Loenstein, Issue 589 January 11/17/07
• Iranian, “American Portrait” by Neda Sarmast, Oct 25, 2006, Attachments June 18, 2007,
• Persian Mirror, “Addressing the Personal, Cultural and Political” April 17th 2007

2006

• New York Times, “Art From Everywhere, All From Queens” by Martha Schwendener December 15, 2006
• BBC Persian, “Rozeh Haftome” by Nazanin  Mazhari , November 2006
• Persian Mirror, “Sara Rahbar: A Portrait” by Neda Sarmast, October 24, 2006
• Persian Mirror, “A Collection of Iranian Artwork” Oct 14, 2006
• Queens Chronicle, “Qboro-Day Tripping at Queens International by Jennifer Manley, Oct 19, 2006 Queens International 2006, Everything All at Once, Vol. 3 Oct 2006