Watercolour

Shahroud Ghahani

Shahroud Ghahani is an Iranian-Australian visual artist based on Gadigal land. Her artworks bridge together rich images from disparate cultures and her experiences of them.

Artist Profile

Shahroud Ghahani is an Iranian-Australian visual artist based on Gadigal land. Her artworks bridge together rich images from disparate cultures and her experiences of them.

She holds a Master of Art from the University of New South Wales, Arts, Design and Architecture and has had her work exhibited in galleries across Sydney.

Her practice explores representations of the female body and themes of beauty, the grotesque, and identity within Eastern and Western traditions.

Her art is also inspired by explorations of metaphysical subjects. She interweaves dreamscapes, liminal and imaginary spaces, displaced objects and allegorical imagery.

She is the winner for the 2024 Grace Cossington Smith Biennial Art award in the local artist category in 2024.

Artist Interview

What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?

I have a wide range of mediums depending on the projects I am undertaking. I use traditional mediums such as as dry and wet pigments but I also work with other materials.

How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?

I sometimes have a plan and organise my work around a certain idea . However sometimes i create spontaneously and without a rigid plan.

Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?

I'm currently a resident artist at Primrose art studios. It is a lovely space overlooking bushlands and sportfields. I enjoy hearing birdsongs and looking at unintupted blue sky from the window. The studio is my happy place when I research, sketch and develop my works from start to finish.

Career Highlights

  • Winner of Grace Cossington Smith National Art biennale Award, 2024 local artist category
  • Commendation award, Gosford art prize, 2023
  • Premier’s Award, Awarded for Excellence in Illustration and Design