BABAK GOLKAR

www.babakgolkar.ca

studio@babakgolkar.ca

EDUCATION

2006
Master of Fine Arts, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

2003
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, Canada.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025
Sound Objects; Unsound Times, Sabrina Amrani, Madrid, Spain.
When Sound Becomes Unsound, Esker Foundation, Calgary, Canada. Curator: Shauna Thompson.

2023
The Return Project, Galerie Nicolas Robert, Toronto, Canada.
The Return Project, Galerie Nicolas Robert, Project Room, Montreal, Canada.
Alibaba Conundrum (with Ali Ahadi), Griffin Art Projects, North Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Lisa Baldissera.

2020
The Longer You Can Look Back, The Farther You Can Look Forward, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain. Curator: Jal Hamad

2019
The Elephant (an intermission), Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain. Curator: Jal Hamad
All The Blind Men, Servais Family Collection, Brussels, Belgium. Curator: Kimberley Phillips

2016
In No Particular Hurry. Galeria Sabrina Amrani, Madrid, Spain. Curator: Jal Hamad
a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. Edel Assanti Gallery, London, United Kingdom. Curator: Jeremy Epstein
La Collection Imaginaire, Institute for New Connotative Action, Seattle, U.S.A. Curators: Aeron Bergman and Alejandra Salinas

2014
Of Labour, Of Dirt. Sazmanab, Tehran, Iran, Curator: Elham Puriyamehr
The Return Project. Third Line Gallery, Dubai, U.A.E.
Time To Let Go…. Vancouver Art Gallery: Offsite, Vancouver, Canada, Curator: Diana Freundl

2013
Dialectic of Failure. West Vancouver Museum, West Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Darrin Morrison
Ground for Standing and Understanding. VOLTA NY Featured Project, New York City, U.S.A. Curator: Michael Kaufmann

2012
Parergon. Sharjah Contemporary Art Museum, Sharjah, U.A.E. Curator: Moza Ali Al Shamsi
Ground for Standing and Understanding. Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Greg Bellerby
Mechanisms of Distortion (Commissioned installation). Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K. Curator: Salma Tuqan
Spatial Transformation. Hilger Contemporary, Vienna, Austria. Curator: Michael Kaufmann

2011
Parergon. Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE. Curator: Sunny Rahbar
Parergon. C.S.A. Space, Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Steven Tong
Black Cube: Moving Toward the Abstract Light. Sanatorium, Istanbul, Turkey. Curator: Güher Gurmen

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2026
(SUPER)MODELS, Mayrit - Madrid Design and Architecture Biennial 2026, Intermediae / Matadero Madrid, Madrid, Spain. Curators: Eduarda Neves and Mohammad Salemy.

2025
Si pudiera elegir mi paisaje, Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporania, Valencia, Spain. Curators: Isabel Perez and Maria Tinoco.

2023
A Preferable Option, Galerie Nicolas Robert, Toronto, Canada.

2022
Thingamajig, AB-ANBAR Gallery at Cromwell Place, London, U.K.

2021
Long Story Short, Sabrina Amrani, Madrid, Spain.
BUM BUM BA YE [Under Pressure], Sabrina Amrani, Madrid, Spain.
Contemporary Ceramic Art from the Middle East, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K. Curator: Mariam Rosser-Owen.

2020
Ver Versus Ver II, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
Ver Versus Ver, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
Crocodile Tears, UNIT 17, Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Tobin Gibson

2019
Ionic Bonds. Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, Canada. Curator: Charo Neville

2018
Dérapages & Post-Bruises Imaginaries. The Loft, Brussels, Belgium. Curator: Dragos Olea
Here: Locating Contemporary Canadian Artists. Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada. Curator: Swapnaa Tamhane
Roadside Attractions. Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Canada. Curator: Jennifer Matotek
N. VANCOUVER. Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Reid Shier

2017
When Form Becomes Attitude. Contemporary Calgary, Calgary, Canada. Curator: Noa Bronstein
Mementos. Artists’ Souvenirs, Artifacts and Other Curiosities. Hotel de la Poste, Brussels, Belgium. Curators: Jens Hoffmann and Piper Marshall
Regarding George Ohr: Contemporary Ceramics in the Spirit of the Mad Potter. Boca Raton Museum of Art. FL, U.S.A.. Curator: Garth Clark
Long, Winding Journeys. Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, New York, U.S.A.. Curator: Elizabeth Rooklidge

2016
Metatextile: Ruptured Narratives, Exchanged Values. Edel Assanti Gallery, London, U.K., Curator: Jeremy Epstein
Object Oriented Apology. Institute for New Connotative Action, Seattle, U.S.A. Curators: Aeron Bergman and Alejandra Salinas
The Ink Jet Show, Art Labour Gallery, Shanghai, China. Curator: Martin Kemble
Mass Individualism, Ab/Anbar, Tehran, Iran. Curator: Azadeh Zaferani

2015
Residue: The Persistence of the Real. Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Curator: Grant Arnold
Crisis of History – Beyond History, Framer Framed, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Curator: Elham Puriyamehr
Common Grounds, Museum Villa Stvck, Munich, Germany. Curator: Verena Hein
Heaven and Hell, Fondation Boghossian - Villa Empain, Bruxelles, Belgium. Curators: Diane Hennebert and Christophe Dosogne

2014
L’avenir: La Biennale de Montréal (9th edition). Musée d’art Contemporain de Montréal, Director: Sylvie Fortin, Curators: Peggy Gale and Gregory Burke (October-February 2015)
La Route Bleue. National Museum Adrien Dubouché, Limoges, France. Curators: Etienne Blondeau and Céline Paul
Music Palace. Fondation Boghossian - Villa Empain, Bruxelles, Belgium. Curator: Diana Wiegersma (September-January)
Hajj, le pèlerinage à La Mecque. Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France. Curator: Omar Saghi (April-August)
The Language of Human Consciousness. Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Curator: Mohammad Hafiz (July-Oct)

2013
La Route Bleue. Fondation Boghossian - Villa Empain, Bruxelles, Belgium. Curator: Diane Hennebert
Biennale Online. Directed by Jan Hoet, Curator: Iara Boubnova

2012
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A MONOCHROME. University of Iowa Museum of Art, Curator: Mariángeles Soto-Díaz
#COMETOGETHER. EOA Project, London, U.K. Curator: Stephen Stapleton
Contemporary Iranian Art. New Albion Gallery, Sydney, Australia. Curator: Doug Hall
COME INVEST IN US. YOU’LL STRIKE GOLD. BrotKunsthalle, Vienna, Austria. Curator: Diana Wiegersma
Jameel Prize Exhibition. Casa Arabe, Madrid, Spain
Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam. The British Museum, London, U.K.

2011
The Bravery of Being Out of Range. Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Curator: Aya Haidar
Roaming Images: Crossroads of Greek and Arab Culture Through the Eyes of Contemporary Artists. Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Greece. Curator: Iara Boubnova
Jameel Prize Exhibitions. Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris
Jameel Prize Exhibitions. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K., Curator: Salma Tuqan
Expositions. Blanket Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Natalia Tkachev
Tension. Hezy Cohen Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel. Curator: Yael Katz Ben Shalom

2010
Time After Time. Southern Exposure, Los Angeles, USA. Curator: Valerie Imus and Taraneh Hemami
The Promise of Loss. A Contemporary Index of Iran. Arario Gallery, New York City, USA. Curator: Shaheen Merali

2009
The Promise of Loss. A Contemporary Index of Iran. Galerie Hilger BrotKunsthalle, Vienna, Austria. Curator: Shaheen Merali
Infinite Egress. Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, Canada. Curator: Jordan Strom
Nuit Blanche. Toronto, Canada. Curator: Makiko Hara (Public)
Folter in der Kultur – Kultur der Folter. Artneuland Project, Berlin, Germany. Curator: Yael Katz Ben Shalom

2008
My Favorite Pastime, WL-Project, Hong Kong. Curators: Kathrin Becker in collaboration with Silvia Anna Barirlà and Hanna Jacobi
Prequel. Gallery Atsui, Vancouver, Canada. Curators: Wesley Cameron and Matt Robertson: Until We Have A Helicopter
Moodyville. Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Helga Pakassar
Orientalism and Ephemera. Centre A Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. / Kenderdine Art Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, SK. Curator: Jamelie Hassan
Interior of Design. Republic Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. Curator: Jordan Strom

SELECTED ART FAIRS

ARCOlisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Art Dubai, Dubai, UAE.
Art Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany.
ARCOmadrid, Madrid, Spain.
Vienna Contemporary, Vienna, Austria.
Artissima, Turin, Italy.
Art Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Frieze London, London, U.K.
Art Beat - Istanbul Art Fair, Istanbul, Turkey.
Istanbul Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey.
Art Basel Miami, Miami, USA.

PUBLIC ART / COMMISSIONS

2026
Glace, Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex, Surrey, Canada. City of Surrey public art commission.

2022
A Parallax View, Bosa Waterfront, 320 Granville Street, Vancouver, Canada. Permanent public artwork commissioned by Bosa through the City of Vancouver Private Development Public Art Program.

CURATORIAL PROJECTS

2022
History in Fragments, Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid, Spain. Group exhibition curated by Babak Golkar for APERTURA Madrid Gallery Weekend.

2013
Friendship of Nations. Slavs and Tatars. Presentation House Gallery. North Vancouver, Canada

2012
Even the Stars Seem To Be Changing Their Position. Lyndl Hall and Erdem Taşdelen. Sanatorium Project, Istanbul, Turkey

2006
The Wrong Gallery Edition #125. Lobby Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. (Co-Curated with Wes Cameron and Matt Robertson) Artists included: Instant Coffee, Hadley and Maxwell, Henry Tsang, David MacWilliam, Mark DeLong, David Young, Étienne Zack

2003

A-MEN. Concourse Gallery, ECIAD, Vancouver, Canada (Co-Curated with Sergio Toporek)

FELLOWSHIPS & RESIDENCIES

2021-2022
Jameel Fellowship, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, U.K. Inaugural fellowship cohort.

2021
Artist-in-Residence, Griffin Art Projects, North Vancouver, Canada, with Ali Ahadi as Alibaba Conundrum.

2016
Davidoff International Art Residency, La Romana / Altos de Chavon, Dominican Republic.

2012
Artist Residency, Delfina Foundation, London, U.K.

AWARDS & GRANTS

Sobey Awards–Long list, Ottawa, Canada
Nominated and shortlisted for The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Jameel Prize. London, U.K.
Nominated and shortlisted for Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize. London, U.K. Co-presented by The Royal College of Art, Saatchi Gallery and Christie’s Auction house
Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation Grant. Ottawa, Canada
British Columbia Arts Council Production Grant. Victoria, Canada
VADA Award. Vancouver, B.C.
B.C. Binning Drawing Scholarship. Vancouver, Canada
Helen Pitt Award. Vancouver, Canada

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
West Vancouver Art Museum, West Vancouver, Canada
Arter, Istanbul, Turkey
Dreizeichen Stiftung, Germany
The Royal Collection (Sheikh Zayed), UAE

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

2025
Hamad, Jal. “Sound Objects; Unsound Times.” Exhibition text, Sabrina Amrani, Madrid.
Perez Ortiz, Isabel and Maria Tinoco Suarez. Si pudiera elegir mi paisaje. Exhibition text, Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporania, Valencia.

2024
Radon, Ido. “Alibaba Conundrum at Griffin Art Projects.” Peripheral Review, February 11, 2024.

2016
Gerlis, Melanie. “The Art Market: uncertainty in New York, sales in Turin.” Financial Times, November 11, 2016.
Davie, William. “Babak Golkar: a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.” This is Tomorrow, November 1, 2016.
Sandals, Leah. “Scream into my Sculptures, Please: Babak Golkar and the Art of Frustration.” Canadian Art, October 5, 2016.
Monarchi, Christiane. “Babak Golkar: The Return Project.” Photomonitor, September 10, 2016.

2015
Vali, Murtaza, “Babak Golkar: The Return Project,” Artforum, January 2015 pg. 235.

2014
Dr. Daneshvari, Abbas. Amazingly Original: Contemporary Iranian Art at Crossroads. Mazda Publication. 2014.
Turner, Michael. How It Is Made and What It Is Made Of: Babak Golkar’s Scream Pots. (Catalogue Essay for Of Labour, Of Dirt)
Dr. Sojoodi, Farzan. Perfection in imperfection: Dichotomies Deconstructed in Golkar’s Time to Let Go… (Catalogue Essay for Of Labour, Of Dirt)
Pouriyamehr, Elham. Of Labour, Of Dirt. (Catalogue Essay for Of Labour, Of Dirt)
Kalsi, Jyoti. Put under a spell by the market. Gulf News. Oct. 30.
Saghafi, Mohsen. Tandis Magazine (Farsi). Oct. 30.
Bahman Siahmard, Fatemeh. Honar Online (Farsi). Oct. 20.
Seaman, Anna. The Return Project, The National, U.A.E., October 2014.
Griffin, Kevin C. Time to Let... Go with Babak Golkar’s terracotta vessels, Vancouver Sun, May 8.

2013
Laurence, Robin. Babak Golkar’s Dialectic of Failure reconsiders the nature of craft. Nov. 26.
Verster, Gina. A Mud-slinging Screamfest. Nov. 2.

2012
James, Gareth. Grounds for Standing and Understanding, Artforum, May 2012 pg. 318.
Vali, Murtaza. Babak Golkar: Funny Frames, Harper’s Bazaar Art, January 2012 pgs. 70-74.
Laurence, Robin. Persian carpets rise in 3-D, Georgia Straight, 25 Jan 2012
Harris, Michael. Grounds for Standing and Understanding, Galleries West, 4 March 2012
Starnes, Jason. Negotiating Symbolic Space, Usurping the Big Other, catalogue essay
Boubnova, Iara. Grounds for Standing and Understanding, catalogue essay

2011
Taşdelen, Erdem. The Logic of Parerga, catalogue essay
Lord, Christopher. Babak Golkar explores shifting meanings through picture frames, The National, U.A.E. 13 November 2011
Lord, Christopher. Jameel Prize 2011 shortlist develops art from craftwork, The National, U.A.E. 14 July 2011
Jameel Prize: Art Contemporian D’inspiration Islamique, Art Absolument: Numéro Spécial
Ibrahim, Dina. “Architectural Psychology.” ArteEast, September 2011.
Kiger, Rumeysa. Golkar’s installation takes visitors back to their childhood, Today’s Zaman, Istanbul. 12 June 2011
Utkan, Hatice. ‘Black Cube’ moves, freedom vanishes, Hurriyet. Istanbul, 2 June 2011
Güleşçi, Pırıl. Siyah küpün içinde ne var? (What’s Inside the Black Cube?), Haber Turk, Istanbul. 18 June 2011

TEACHING

2009-2011
Sessional Faculty of Graduate Studies. Visual, Media Arts and Design Departments, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, Canada

2005-2011
Sessional Faculty of Undergraduate Studies. Visual Arts Department, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, Canada

2005-2006
Teaching and Research Assistant. Department of Art History and Visual Art, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada