Living and Working | Chicago | Since September 2012
Date and Place of Birth|1986, Tehran, Iran
Email|ramyar.vala@gmail.com
Educational Background
Master of Fine Arts | Visual Arts | University of Chicago | USA | 2014
Bachelor of Fine Arts | Graphic Design | Nima Mahmoud Abad Higher Education Institute | Mazandaran | Iran | 2011
Associate’s Degree | Computer Graphics | Education Center of Art and Cultural Applied Sciences Unit 22 | Tehran | Iran | 2008
Exhibitions
Out of Sight, Beyond Touch | The Center for Book Arts | New York | US | 2020
Challenges of Imagination | Freedman Gallery | Pennsylvania | US | 2020
The Extraordinary | Hunter East Harlem Gallery | New York | US | 2019
Westside Exposure: Whitney Staff Art Show 2019 | Westbeth Gallery | New York | US | 2019
Without a Solitary Object of Vision | 601Artspace | New York | US |2019
Proximity Suitcase | Gallery E260 | University of Iowa | Iowa City | US | 2019
Who Really Cares? | Cathouse Proper Gallery | New York | US |2019
MOP CAP Exhibition | Bonhams Gallery | London | UK |2018
Hekler Host | De-Construkt | New York | US |2018
Fugitive Designs | BIGGERCODE Gallery | New York | US | 2018
Cinnamon | Produce Model Gallery | Chicago | US | 2018
Brown People Are the Wrens in the Parking Lot | The Logan Center Gallery | Chicago | US | 2017
Bread and Salt | The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation | New York | US | 2017
Front and Center curated by Caroline Picard | Hyde Park Art Center| Chicago| US | 2017
Challenges of Imagination | Lecture-Performance | Northwestern University | Chicago | US | 2017
Challenges of Imagination | Lecture-Performance | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | San Francisco | US | 2017
The Dangerous Professors | Triumph | Chicago| US | 2017
Lucciche | Simposio di VideoArte - VideoArt Symposium | Carrara | Italy | 2016
SCOPE | International Contemporary Art Show | Miami | US | 2015
Expo Chicago | The University of Chicago Headquarters 3.0 | Chicago | US | 2015
Fifth Annual Exposure Award | Musee du Louvre | Paris | France | 2015
People's Pamphlets curated by Jessica Cochran | Spudnik Press Cooperative | Chicago | US | 2015
Limited Access Festival | Part of Me Curated by Amirali Ghasemi | Parking Gallery's Project | Tehran | Iran | 2014
Ground Floor | Hyde Park Art Center | Chicago | US | 2014
After Hours | Gray Center Lab | Chicago | US | 2014
Parishani | Screening curated by Amirali ghasemi and Mahdieh Fahimi | OFFoff Art Cinema | Gent | Belguim | 2014
The Old Spaghetti Factory | Video Playlist curated by Karthik Pandian | Museum of Contemporary Photography | Chicago | US |
2014 Szalon curated by Monika Szewczyk | The Logan Center Gallery | Chicago | US | 2014
Expo Chicago | Hyde Park Art Center | Chicago | US | 2014
Expo Chicago | Medium Cool | Expo Editions & Books section | Chicago | US | 2014
Funeral For Ortolan | The Logan Center Gallery of University of Chicago | Chicago | US | 2014
International Lahti Poster Triennial | Lahti Art Museum| Lahti | Finland | 2014
The e-cigarette in Context | A Collaborative Skype Performance by Pirate Utopia | New Museum | New York | US | 2014
Tasvir-e- Sal | Image of The Year | invitational of Poster Exhibition | Tehran | Iran | 2014
2nd MUIPBiennial | Marmara University International Poster Biennial | Istanbul | Turkey | 2012
The 3rd Festival of Damoonfar (Faber-Castell) Visual Arts | Tehran | Iran | 2010
Golden Bee 9 | Moscow International Biennale of Graphic Design | Moscow | Russia | 2010
Divarkoob Group Poster Exhibition | Semnan | Isfahan | Shiraz | Mashhad | Tehran | Iran | 2010
Group Exhibition of Photography | Amol | Iran | 2010
“Generatzione Verde” | Group Poster Exhibition | Cartacanta Festival Expo | Civitanova Marche | Italy | 2009
The 7th Trnava International Poster Triennial | Trnava | Slovakia | 2009
Awards and Fellowships
Edes Prize | Awarded as one of the four finalists | University of Chicago | USA | 2017
Edes Prize | Awarded as one of the four finalists | University of Chicago | USA | 2015
Teaching Fellowship | University of Chicago | USA | 2014-2015
Full Scholarship | University of Chicago | USA | 2013-2014
Half Scholarship | University of Chicago | USA | 2012-2013
Work Experience
Teaching Fellow|Visual Language: on image | University of Chicago | 2014-2015
Lab Assistant at The Hack Arts LAB (HAL) | University of Chicago | Summer | 2014
Shop Technician at Logan Center wood and metal shop | University of Chicago | 2012- 2014
Teaching Assistant at Logan Center wood and metal shop | University of Chicago | 2012- 2014
Teaching Assistant in Jason Salavon’s class | Digital Imaging | University of Chicago | Spring | 2014
Teaching Assistant in Theaster Gates’ class | Graduate Seminar | University of Chicago | Winter | 2014
Teaching Assistant in Hannah Givler’s class | Multiples in Wood and Metal | University of Chicago | Winter | 2014
Teaching Assistant in Amber Ginsburg’s class | How to House a Kiln | University of Chicago | Winter | 2014
Teaching Assistant in Karthik Pandian’s class | Politics of the Moving Image: Form, Content, Context | University of Chicago | Fall | 2013
Teaching Assistant in Amber Ginsburg’s class | Visual Language: On Object | University of Chicago | Fall | 2013
Teacher Assistant in Jason Salavon’s class | Visual Language: On Time and Space|University of Chicago|Spring|2013
Teaching Assistant in Catherine Sullivan’s class | Visual Language: On Time and Space | University of Chicago | Winter | 2013
Graphic Designer at Studio Tehran | 2011- Present
Publications
New York Times 1/31/2020 | What to See Right Now in New York Art Galleries | The Extraordinary | New York | US | 2020
MOP CAP 2017 Finalist Exhibition | Bonhams | London | UK | 2018
Stories Within Images | SCOPE Miami | International Contemporary Art Show | Miami | US | 2015
The Exposure Award | Documentary Collection | Musee du Louvre | Paris | France | 2015
Ground Floor | Hyde Park Art Center | Chicago | US | 2014
International Lahti Poster Triennial | Lahti Art Museum | Lahti | Finland | 2014
2nd MUIPBiennial | Marmara University International Poster Biennial | Istanbul | Turkey | 2012
Arabesque #2 | Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia | Die Gestalten Publication | Germany | 2011
Divarkoob Poster Exhibition | 98 Posters of 51 Graphic Designers | Aban Book Publication | Iran | 2011
Golden Bee 9 | Moscow International Biennale of Graphic Design | Moscow | Russia | 2010
The 7th Trnava International Poster Triennial | Trnava | Slovakia | 2009