About
Hadieh Afshani is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of identity, migration, and belonging. Born and raised in Iran, she completed her undergraduate studies in Fine Arts (Painting) in Tehran before earning her MFA from the Queensland College of Arts at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. While in Australia, she also served as a Visual Arts lecturer. After nearly a decade there, she relocated to the United States, eventually settling in New York City. Afshani has exhibited internationally and has received several prestigious awards, including the St George Art Awards in 2014 in Sydney.
Her rich cultural experiences and constant relocations deeply influence her art practice, which primarily investigates the experiences of women, gender issues, and the connection between land and architectural spaces in the context of displacement. She navigates these themes through a range of transparent and translucent materials, layering watercolor, ink, acrylic, oil glazes, and pencil marks to build depth and meaning. By incorporating shiny materials and resin, she creates a rich, multi-dimensional narrative where each layer acts as a fragment of her story, ultimately forming a whole that reveals itself over time.
Through this process, Afshani examines her story—as a mother, a woman, an immigrant, and a member of the Jersey City community—while carrying the poetic soul and cultural weight of her Persian heritage. Her practice serves as an anchor, allowing her to explore the complexities of belonging and the passage of time through visual storytelling.
