Kimia Askarian Iranian, b. 2000

Kimia Askarian (b. 2000 Tehran, works and lives in Tehran) studied Graphic Design at Kherad Art School and received her B.A. in Photography. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Photography at the University of Tehran.

Her first solo exhibition, Pondering Upon You Anew, Being Pondered Upon Anew, was held at Gallery 009821 in July 2024. Her second solo exhibition, Artist at Work 2, took place at Bostan Gallery in May 2026. Her photobook Tehran University of Art is a collection of portraits of students at the University of Art, made in the aftermath of Women, Life, Freedom protests and changes that took place at the university in 2022 and 2023. The book was exhibited at Step Gallery at Arizona State University in 2024.

Askarian’s approach to image-making is shaped by the concerns and mental landscape she inhabits at any given time. Consequently, the method of producing images shifts from one body of work to another, depending on the subject and conceptual framework of each project. In some works, documentary fidelity and the truthful recording of reality take precedence; in others, the deliberate disruption of photographic elements and the rejection of conventional standards of image quality become integral to the work’s visual language.

Her practice encompasses an experimental engagement with a range of image-making tools and processes—including digital cameras, mobile phone cameras, scanners, and other photographic methods. She regards the exploration of photographic form and modes of presentation as an open field through which she articulates personal experience, documents her surroundings, and constructs new visual worlds. Across much of her work, she deliberately leaves space for imagination, inviting viewers to engage with the images beyond what is immediately visible.