BIJAN MOOSAVI
Raised in Tehran and based in London
Bijan Moosavi is an Iranian multimedia artist based in London. He makes films, installations, music and performances which look at the impact of neoliberalism from a Middle Eastern point of view. Bijan’s work draws upon the aesthetics of neoliberalism (corporate advertising, sci-fi movies, popular culture, Islamic kitsch, etc.) in order to tell dystopian tales from speculative futures drowned in deep neoliberalism.
From immersive installations opening a portal to a dystopian climate refugee center from the year 2058 (GHT.2058: Asylo-جنّتl, 2023) and a deeply neoliberal nightclub from the future in the Middle East (Disco Islam: Future Phantasmagoria, 2022), to performances in the style of YouTube Reaction videos (Disco Islam: Commentary Performance, 2022), the business pitch format (Disco Islam: How To Make A Cultural Investment In Middle East, 2019) and a commercial Islamic rock band (The Future Islam Rock Band, 2018); and from a sci-fi commercial film about a nightclub built on the site of an environmental disaster in Iran (Disco Islam, 2020) to a promotional video about a fictional start-up company with a mission to de-politicize the arts for an Islamic market (Future-Islam™: Musical Solutions, 2017), Bijan’s work demystifies the mythical promise of neoliberalism in delivering freedom and prosperity around the globe.
CV
EDUCATION
[ 2012 ] MA Audio Post Production at Leeds Beckett University (Leeds, UK)
[ 2007 ] BA Visual Communication at Islamic Azad University (Tehran, Iran)
RESIDENCY, PARTICIPATION & AWARD
[ 2022 ] Digital Residency at IMT Gallery (London, UK)
[ 2021 ] The Exchange program participant at Eastside Projects (Online)
[ 2020 ] Artist in residence at Haramacy (Online)
[ 2019 ] Artist in residence at Delfina Foundation (London, UK)
[ 2019 ] Selected artist for Forecast Forum (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2019 ] London Creative Network (LCN) participant at The SPACE (London, UK)
[ 2018 ] Praxis-Forum member at The Showroom (London, UK)
[ 2018 ] Finalist artist for Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize (London, UK)
[ 2017 ] Artist in residence at The Art House (Wakefield, UK)
[ 2013 ] Finalist artist for Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize (London, UK)
[ 2011 ] Shortlisted for Sound Art Residency at Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK)
[ 2009 ] Visiting Arts artist in residence at IOAA (Tehran, Iran)
EXHIBITION, SCREENING & PERFORMANCE
[ 2023 ] THIS IS NOT A FILM CLUB at God’s House Tower (Southampton, UK)
[ 2023 ] GHT.2058: Asylo-جنّت at ‘a space’ arts (Southampton, UK)
[ 2022 ] Disco Islam: Commentary Performance at Eastside Projects (Birmingham, UK)
[ 2022 ] Disco Islam: Future Phantasmagoria at Eastside Projects (Birmingham, UK)
[ 2022 ] IMT Gallery at London Art Fair (London, UK)
[ 2022 ] ASSEMBLE at V.O Curations (London, UK)
[ 2021 ] Disco Islam at AD/AD Project Space (Hanover, Germany)
[ 2021 ] The Exchange Summit at Eastside Projects (Online)
[ 2020 ] Haramacy Short Films at COMMUN (Online)
[ 2020 ] Visions in the Nunnery at Nunnery Gallery (London, UK)
[ 2020 ] Bedtime Lullabies at COMMUN (Online)
[ 2020 ] Live In The Void at Pejman Foundation’s The Room (Online)
[ 2019 ] Residents’ pop-up show at Delfina Foundation (London, UK)
[ 2019 ] Disco Islam (lecture-performance) at Radialsystem (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2019 ] Mise-en-scène at 4COSE (London, UK)
[ 2018 ] Gate of Tehran at The Silent Green (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2018 ] The Future Islam Rock Band (performance) at Bonhams (London, UK)
[ 2018 ] Magic Of Persia Contemporary Art Prize Finalists’ Exhibition at Bonhams (London, UK)
[ 2018 ] Between the Beach and the Lounge at play_station space (Wellington, New Zealand)
[ 2018 ] Pejman Foundation The Room at The Fajr International Film Festival (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2017 ] Migration at The Art House (Wakefield, UK)
[ 2016 ] Live In The Void at OTO Project Space (London, UK)
[ 2015 ] ‘Semi-colon’ (performance) at Chelsea College of Arts (London, UK)
[ 2015 ] MOPCAP 2015 (performance) at Edge of Arabia Projects (London, UK)
[ 2015 ] Arab* Underground at The Fusion Festival (Lärz, Germany)
[ 2015 ] Transmètic : Ordonnance at Lewisham Arthouse (London, UK)
[ 2015 ] Point of Metting: EAST at Latarka Gallery (Budapest, Hungary)
[ 2014 ] EYEMUSIC: Seeing Sound (performance) at The Handel House Museum (London, UK)
[ 2014 ] DEL+REW at World Wide Web (Online)
[ 2013 ] Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize Finalists’ Exhibition at The Royal College of Art (London, UK)
[ 2013 ] VANGUARD at The Jewish Museum Of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki, Greece)
[ 2013 ] Magic Of Persia Contemporary Art Prize Shortlists’ Exhibition at The Emirates Financial Towers (Dubai, UAE)
[ 2013 ] The Strange Impression Of Seeing Things For The First Time at The Mile End Art Pavilion (London, UK)
[ 2012 ] Echochroma IX at Leeds Beckett University (Leeds, UK)
[ 2012 ] Audio-visual performance at SOAS University of London (London, UK)
[ 2012 ] The Sound and the Fury (performance) at 1 in 12 Club (Bradford, UK)
[ 2012 ] Iran Through Airwaves at Enjoy Space (Leeds, UK)
[ 2011 ] Musical performance at Free World Centre (London, UK)
[ 2011 ] Unity at Leeds Beckett University (Leeds, UK)
[ 2010 ] Music performance at Prague Café (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2010 ] An Unforeseen Meeting in Tehran (performance) at Sazmanab Project (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2010 ] Limited Access II at Azad Art Gallery (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2010 ] Music performance at Vino Café (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2010 ] Human Emotion Project at Mohsen Gallery (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2010 ] Music performance at Circus Charivari (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2010 ] Tehran: 1mile² at Azad Art Gallery (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2009 ] Human Emotion Project at Formverk Gallery (Eskilstuna, Sweden)
[ 2009 ] Gozel Geceler (DJ) at Dogzstar Club (Istanbul, Turkey)
[ 2009 ] Audio-visual performance at Gusar Club (Belgrade, Serbia)
[ 2009 ] Music performance at Zica Club (Belgrade, Serbia)
[ 2009 ] In My Headphones (performance) at Azad Art Gallery (Tehran, Iran)
[ 2008 ] Finglish Karaoke at NewYorck Im Bethanien (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2008 ] Audio-visual performance at Galerie Wallywoods (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2008 ] Music performance at NewYorck Im Bethanien (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2008 ] International Roaming Biennial Of Tehran at NewYorck Im Bethanien (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2008 ] International Roaming Biennial Of Tehran at Hafriyat Karakoy (Istanbul, Turkey)
TALK & PRESENTATION
[ 2023 ] Artists’ Voices at ‘a space’ arts (Southampton, UK)
[ 2022 ] From The Artist’s Mouth at Eastside Projects (Birmingham, UK)
[ 2021 ] Artist Talk at AD/AD Project Space (Online)
[ 2019 ] Disco Islam at Radialsystem (Berlin, Germany)
[ 2018 ] The Future State #01 at Goethe-Institut London (London, UK)
[ 2010 ] An Unforeseen Meeting in Tehran at Sazmanab Project (Tehran, Iran)
MUSIC & RADIO
[ 2014-PRESENT ] Leave Me Your Ears (Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty)
[ 2013 ] Turn Around The Receiver (CD / Digital)
[ 2007 ] In My Headphones (CD / Digital)
