Born in Tehran, Iran (1988), and based in Dallas, Texas, Arash Ghahari creates sculptural works that merge philosophy, mythology, and the grotesque. Influenced by his late father, artist Ali Ghahari Kermani, his practice transforms material into metaphor—where bodies are distorted, inverted, and reimagined. Ghahari holds a PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas. Ghahari presents his doctoral exhibition, The Grotesque Enframing, which reinterprets the grotesque as a philosophical framework to question the human condition.

CV

Arash Ghahari Kermani

PhD | Visual and Performing Arts

Email: axg200028@utdallas.edu

Website: www.arashghahari.com

PROFILE
Born in Tehran, Iran (1988), Arash Ghahari Kermani is a visual artist and educator with a diverse background in sculpture, contemporary art, and art history. His work spans multiple mediums, including sculpture, painting, and art history, focusing on contemporary dialogues in visual culture. Kermani holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture from Hacettepe University (Turkey) and a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from West Texas A&M University (USA). In 2021, he entered the Doctorate program in Visual and Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Dallas.

EDUCATION
PhD in Visual and Performing Arts, The University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Arts and Humanities, Dallas, Texas, USA
Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, West Texas A&M University, Department of Art, Theatre and Dance, Canyon, Texas, USA (2013–2017)
Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Ankara, Turkey (2005–2010)

TEACHING

2026 – Adjunct Instructor: Instructor of Exploration of Humanities, The University of Texas at Dallas

2025 – 2026 Teaching Associate: Instructor of Introduction to Sculpture (Studio Art), The University of Texas at Dallas
2019 – 2025 Adjunct Instructor of Art History Survey II, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
2019 – 2025 Adjunct Instructor of Drawing, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China - (Online)

2019 – Adjunct Instructor of Art History Survey II, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, China - International Summer Session

2019 – Adjunct Instructor of Drawing, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, China - International Summer Session

2017 – 2018 Adjunct Instructor of Design, Amarillo College, School of Creative Arts
2017 – 2018 Adjunct Instructor of Painting, Amarillo College Continued Ed. Summer Classes
2016 – 2017 Adjunct Instructor of Art Appreciation, Amarillo College, School of Creative Arts

TEACHING ASSISTANT

2024 – Teaching Assistant: Understanding Art, The University of Texas at Dallas
2024 – Teaching Assistant: Survey of Western Art History: Ancient to Medieval, University of Texas at Dallas
2021 – Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Philosophy, The University of Texas at Dallas
2020 – Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Philosophy, The University of Texas at Dallas
2023 – Teaching Assistant: Exploration of the Arts, The University of Texas at Dallas
2023 – Teaching Assistant: Sustainable Arts, The University of Texas at Dallas
2022 – Teaching Assistant: Art History Survey II, The University of Texas at Dallas

GRADUATE ASSISTANT

2017 – 3D Art, West Texas A&M University
2016 – 3D Art, West Texas A&M University
2016 – Art History TA and Gallery Manager, West Texas A&M University
2015 – Art History TA and Gallery Manager, West Texas A&M University

ART GALLERY MANAGER

2014 – Gallery Manager, Dord Fitz Formal Gallery, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025 – The Grotesque Enframing, 2720 Gallery (Artfuss Gallery), Dallas, Texas
2017 – Analogy, Dord Fitz Gallery, Canyon, Texas
2016 – Inverse, Urbana Café, Amarillo, Texas
2015 – Mirroring The Contemporary, Experimental Gallery at the Sunset Center, Amarillo, Texas, USA, Curated by John Revett
2012 – Postmodern Stylization, Galeri Artist LAB, Ankara, Turkey
2011 – Postmodern Stereotypical, Galeri Artist LAB, Istanbul, Turkey
2010 – Resa (The Black Sheep) Galeri Artist LAB, Ankara, Turkey, Curated by Müzeyyen Çağlar Güler

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

2026 – Spotlight artist at Human Condition exhibition, curated by James Maker , ARC Deep Ellm Gallery, Dallas, TX, USA.

2026 – (Upcoming) Wild, Weird, and Wonderful, Online Juried Exhibition, Not Shockboxx on Artsy, Hermosa Beach, California.
2025 – Unusual, curated online exhibition, Domio Gallery, London, UK
2025 – Dreams, Dramas, and Play, curated by John Pomara and Andrew Scott, 2720 Gallery (Artfuss Gallery), Dallas, Texas
2025 – Art N Moto, group exhibition, HB Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2025 – E-Scrap Conference 2025 Exhibition, Grapevine, TX, USA Curated by SV Randall. Work exhibited in conjunction with the E-Scrap Conference, exploring themes of recycling, waste, and sustainability
2025 – The 2025 ATEC Pop-up Locker Exhibition, UT Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA, Curated by Xtine Burrough
2025 – Curated Show for the RAW Conference, ATC Gallery, Richardson, TX, USA, Curated by Mary Takaloo
2024 – ArtAnkara International Contemporary Art Fair, Ankara, Turkey
2024 – Graduate Student Artists’ Exhibition, Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, Dallas, TX, USA
2024 – Foreign Affairs Curated Show, SITE131, Dallas, TX, USA, Curated by John Pomara
2020 – Justice Art Exhibit, Group Exhibition, Lubbock, Texas
2024 – WT Alumni Art Show, Dord Fitz Formal Gallery Mary Moody Northern Hall, Canyon, TX, USA
2014 – AC/WT Student and Faculty Show, Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo, Texas, USA
2013 – Genç Karma exhibition (Young Artists’ group exhibition), German Embassy, Ankara, Turkey curated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism
2013/2014 – The Sunset Center Mixed Group Show, Amarillo, Texas, USA
2009 – The Stone Sculpture Exhibition, Beytepe Campus Art Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
2008 – Center for Contemporary Art Show, Cankaya Municipality, Ankara, Turkey
2008 – Participant at the Austrian Embassy’s Stone Carving Symposium, Workshop, and Exhibition, Ankara, Turkey
2007 – Participant at the Antalya Manavgat Sand Sculpture Symposium And Exhibition, Antalya, Turkey
2005 – Karma Sergisi (group exhibition) at the Baskent University, Curated by Bora Turkkan, Ankara, Turkey

FIELD WORK, ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS, PUBLIC ART INVOLVEMENTS

2014–2015 – Restoration of Amarillo Ramp by renowned American Land Artist Robert Smithson, collaborated with John Revett, Texas, USA
2014 – Art is Happening (LOL), public art installation, collaborated work with Jon Revett, Canyon, Texas

CURATING

Curator, Intro to Sculpture: Bust Exhibition — UT Dallas, ATEC Main Lobby, Dallas, TX, Spring 2025
• Curated an end-of-semester exhibition featuring undergraduate student bust sculptures from the Intro to Sculpture course. Oversaw installation, spatial planning, and promotional materials

PARTICIPATION AS A JUDGE

Juror, Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) — Texas Art Education Association (High School Level)
• 2017 – Texas Regional VASE
• 2019 – Texas State VASE
• 2021 – Texas Regional VASE

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PUBLICATIONS

2027 – The Upside-down No. II (sculpture) with accompanying artist statement. Published in the Winter 2027 "Vintage" Issue of the The Penn Journal of Arts & Sciences (PJAS), Pennsylvania. Forthcoming, January 2027.

2025 – Retrograde News article “Finding Beauty in the Grotesque” (Nov 17, 2025) — coverage of my Grotesque Enframing exhibition at Artfuss Art Gallery, exploring themes of post-humanity, cultural identity, and philosophical reflections on technological enframing. Link: https://retrogradenews.com/2025/11/17/finding-beauty-in-the-grotesque/
2025 – E-Scrap News, Resource Recycling, System Error: Communication Failed – https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2025/11/06/texas-students-turn-old-tech-and-e-waste-into-art/
2025 – Featured artist at the Domio Gallery exhibition catalogue, Unusual exhibition, London, UK
2025 – The West Texan Alumni Magazine, featured artist in WT Art Alumni spotlight Winter 2025 issue, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas
2017 – Ghahari, A. (2017). Analogy (Master’s Thesis, West Texas A&M University). Texas Digital Library. https://tdl-ir.tdl.org/items/fb2b8622-4fe6-43cc-9c10-d89c9109d585
2024 – Alumni Spotlight, West Texas A&M University, Department of Art, Theatre and Dance, featured artist on the official university website, (under the 2017 tab) https://www.wtamu.edu/academics/college-fine-arts-humanities/department-art-theatre-dance/art/alumni-spotlight.html
2024 – Patron Magazine – "Foreign Affairs," May 30, 2024, https://patronmagazine.com/site131-transports-audiences-abroad-this-summer/
2024 – MyHighPlains – WT Art Alumni Show Feature, March 27, 2024 https://www.myhighplains.com/news/local-news/west-texas-am-university-art-alumni-to-be-featured-in-first-ever-alumni-art-exhibition/
2024 – Glasstire – Foreign Affairs, June 2024, https://glasstire.com/events/2024/06/17/foreign-affairs/
2016 – The International Lounge, March 3, 2016, https://theinternationallounge.wordpress.com
2012 – Sergi Rehberi – Postmodern Kalipsali, Galeri Artist Istanbul, https://sergirehberi.com/m/sergi_detay.aspx?s_id=3194&t_id=2195&q=Postmodern-Kalipsali--Arash-Ghahari-Sergisi-Galeri-Artist-Istanbul&q1=-Genel-Bilgi
2010 – Ankara Hürriyet Newspaper, featured artist for Resa solo exhibition, Galeri Artist LAB, Ankara, Turkey

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

2026 – Collection of Gianna Madrini, Dallas, Texas. Two sculptures from The Grotesque Enframing series, acquired.

2014 – Private Collection of Ambassador Eberhard Pohl (Germany)
Sculpture acquired in 2014 during the exhibition at the German Embassy in Ankara, Turkey
2014 – Private Collection of Joe Bill Sherrod, Executive Director/Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Amarillo College, Amarillo, TX
Sculpture acquired
2012 – Private Collection (via Gallery Artist) Istanbul, Turkey
Sculpture acquired
2010 – Private Collection of Kutsal Kaan Bilgin, art collector, Ankara, Turkey
Sculpture acquired

CONFERENCE AND ARTIST TALK

2025 – Presenter at SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference) — “The Persian Monster: Grotesque Aesthetics in Iranian Art and Identity”, Ohio, Cincinnati, USA
2025 – Presenter at the E‑Scrap Conference 2025, Grapevine, TX, October 27–29, 2025. Curated by SV Randall, attending sessions focused on e-waste management, electronics recycling, and sustainability initiatives
2025 – Presenter at the RAW 2025 conference, UT Dallas, Presented “Transcending Monstrosity: Exploring The Grotesque From The Renaissance To Contemporary Art In Iran,” Richardson, TX, USA
2024 – Group Artist Talk for Foreign Affairs, SITE131, Dallas, TX, USA
2017 – Artist’s Talk at the Urbana Café Inverse exhibition, Amarillo, Texas, USA
2016 – Published Interview, The International Lounge, Canyon, Texas, USA
2015 – Artist’s Talk for Mirroring The Contemporary solo show, Experimental Gallery, Sunset Center, Amarillo, TX, USA

SELECTED AWARDS, HONORS & SCHOLARSHIPS

2025 – Harry W. Bass Jr. Graduate Research Award, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
2016 – 1st Place / Best Graduate Work Award at Amarillo Museum of Art, AC/WT Student and Faculty Show, Amarillo Museum of Art, USA
2014 – Selected work at the Genc Karma Exhibition curated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Sculpture collected by German Ambassador Eberhard Pohl; artist was received privately at the embassy and presented with a handwritten note of appreciation, Ankara, Turkey
2014 – Honorable Mention Award, AC/WT Student and Faculty Show, Amarillo Museum of Art, USA
2025 – Selected work and Award Winner at The 2025 ATEC Pop-up Locker Exhibition, UT Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
2025 – SECAC 2025 Travel Award, Southeastern College Art Conference, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Arash Ghahari Kermani, PhD
www.arashghahari.com

Copyright @ Arash Ghahari 2026