Abbas Akhavan (1977, IR) creates work that ranges from site-specific ephemeral installations to drawing, video, sculpture, and performance. The direction of his research has been deeply influenced by the specificity of the sites where he works: the architectures that house them, the economies that surround them, and the people that frequent them. The domestic sphere, as a forked space between hospitality and hostility, has been an ongoing area of research in Akhavan’s practice. Recent works have shifted focus, wandering into spaces just outside the home—the garden, the backyard, and other domesticated landscapes.

Akhavan is the recipient of Abraaj Group Art Prize (2014) and Kunstpreis Berlin (2012).