Dr. Sofi Basseghi

Sofi Basseghi is a visual artist based in Naarm, Melbourne, Australia. She completed a Masters of Fine Arts degree in 2007 at RMIT University and pursued further graduate studies in directing in 2011 at the Victorian College of the Arts school of Film and Television. Her award winning films, photographs and video work have been exhibited at internationally acclaimed venues and galleries including The Substation, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Museum of Australian Photography, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. Her work has been acquired in private and public collections including at the State Library of Victoria.

Her multidisciplinary and collaborative art practice is informed by Persian literature with an aim to cross inflicted boundaries and question cultural and traditional mores. As well, it examines contested histories within political and poetic landscapes.

In early 2021 she completed her PhD (Art) at RMIT University where her practice-based research used photography, documentary and video art practices to express narratives revealing an image of contemporary female Iranian rebellion recording the lives of women living in Iran and in diaspora.

In addition, she was the Melbourne co-ordinator of the Iranian Film Festival, has served on the board of West Space and as committee member on the Arts Advisory Committee at Manningham Council.

In 2021 Sofi had a major solo exhibition at The Substation entitled Ripples from the Unseen and in 2022 she was awarded a creative fellowship at the State Library of Victoria. in 2023, she engaged in another solo exhibition at Counihan Gallery in conjunction with International Women's Day.

She is currently working on an exhibition at the State Library of Victoria due to open late 2024. 

Personal website: https://www.sofibasseghi.com

https://thesubstation.org.au/program/ripples-from-the-unseen

• 2021 PhD (Fine Art), RMIT University
• 2011 Graduate Diploma Film and Television, Victoria Collage of the Arts, University of Melbourne 
• 2007 Master of Fine Arts, RMIT University
• 2005 Bachelor of Media Arts (First Class Honours), RMIT University

Upcoming Exhibitions

• 2024 - Exhibition upcoming in December 2024 at The State Library of Victoria curated by Linda Short

Solo Exhibitions

• 2023 - 'Elysian Fields', February 2023 at Counihan Gallery, Brunswick, photography and video installation
• 2021 - 'Ripples from the Unseen', Major exhibition at The SUBSTATION, Newport, Multi channel video and mixed media installation
• 2016 - 'Rebellious Fragments', West Space Gallery, Melbourne, Video Installation
• 2016 - 'Ascending Voices', Blindside Gallery, Melbourne, Video Installation
• 2009 - 'Sayeh Saran', Shirin Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photographic
• 2007 - 'Salt on Slugs', 69 Smith Street Gallery, Abbotsford, VIC, Mixed Media
• 2007 - 'Turmoil', 69 Smith Street Gallery, Abbotsford, VIC, Photographic 

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2023 - 'Something holding these bodies in-kind', Curated by Sarah Rudledge, Stockroom, Kyneton, Australia
• 2022 - 'Women Life Freedom' Exhibition, Sol Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
• 2020 - 'The new ab/normal', RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
• 2019 - Bowness Prize, Museum of Australian Photography, Melbourne, Australia
• 2019 - 'Far Flung', a project lead by Dr Tammy Wong Hulbert, Manningham Council, VIC, Australia, Photography and Video installation
• 2018 - Bowness Prize, Museum of Australian Photography, Melbourne, Australia 
• 2018 - 'The Family Mantle', Curated by Pia Johnson Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia, Photographic
• 2018 - 'Cultural Crossroads', Curated by Vanessa Godden John The Aurora Picture Show, Houston, USA, Video
• 2018 - 'Hyphenated', Curated by Tammy Wong Hulbert and Phuong Ngo, The Substation, VIC, Australia, Video Installation
• 2018 - 'Conspicuous Presence', Curated by Caroline Phillips and the Women's Art Register, Trocadero, Australia, Mixed Media
• 2017 - 'Visionary Art Show', Palazzo Vernazza Castromediano, Lecce, Italy, Video 
• 2017 - 'Identity Intersection', Counihan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, Video Installation
• 2017 - 'The Lines In Between', Seventh Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, Video Installation
• 2017 - 'Light Works', MLC Common Ground Exhibition Space, Melbourne, Australia, Photographic
• 2017 - 'Turtles all the way down', King's Leap Gallery, NY, USA & Blindside Gallery as part of Channels Festival, Video
• 2016 - 'Museum of International Connectivity', The Dirty Dozen, Curated by Dr Phil Edwards
• 2016 - Morgan Court public art boxes installation in collaboration with Dr Phil Edwards for the City of Merribek, Glenroy, Australia, Mixed Media Installation
• 2015 - Incinerator Art Award Finalist's Exhibition, Incinerator Gallery, Melbourne, Australia, Video
• 2015 - 'In a Pink Room', Primo Piano Gallery, Lecce, Italy, Photographic
• 2014 - MooneeFest Residency, Moonee Art Space, Melbourne, Australia, Photographic 
• 2014 - 'Imaginary', Primo Piano Gallery, Lecce, Italy, Video Installation 
• 2014 - 'Urban Storytellers', Primo Piano Gallery, Lecce, Italy, Video Installation
• 2013 - 'Regeneration', Primo Piano Gallery, Lecce, Italy, Video Installation
• 2013 - Queensland Multicultural Week Inaugural Film Festival 2013, Brisbane, Australia, Short Film
• 2013 - 'Head On', Photo Festival and Portrait Prize, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, photographic portraits
• 2013 - 'Shoot it Out' On the Silk Road, Palazzo Delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy, Short Film
• 2012 - Ionian International Digital Film Festival (IIDFF), Lefkas, Greece, Short Film,
• 2012 - Iranian Film Festival Australia, ACMI, Melbourne, Australia, Short Film
• 2012 - 'Icons', Kings ARI, Melbourne, VIC, Melbourne, Australia, Video Installation, Photographic
• 2012 - Brantford Film Festival, Brantford, Canada, Short Film
• 2012 - 'Crucifixion', Shirin Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photographic
• 2011 - Short film screening, 'The Orchard', ACMI, Melbourne, VIC, Short Film
• 2008 - Hatched 2008, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), Perth, WA, Photographic
• 2008 - 'Humming a New Diaspora', Blindside Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Video Installation
• 2007 - 'Directors Lounge 2008', Scala Theatre, Berlin, Video
• 2006 - 'Show Me Yours', co-curated with Abina Manning from the Video Data Bank Chicago, The Horse Bazaar, VIC, Video
• 2005 - 'The Cherrypickers', 69 Smith St Gallery, Abbotsford, VIC, Video Installation
• 2004 - 'Whoever isn't in this circle, doesn't take part in this mystery', Persian Gardens Ancient Wisdom New Vision Exhibition, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Iran  
• 2004 - 'Michka', Smyrnios Gallery, Prahran, VIC, Photographic
• 2003 - 'We Call This Paradise', First Site Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Photographic

Selected Honours, Grants and Awards

• 2022 - State Library of Victoria 2022 creative fellowship award 
• 2021 - Recipient of Australia Council for the Arts Grant
• 2020 - Recipient of Creative Victoria Grant
• 2019 - Recipient of Creative Victoria Grant
• 2019 - Bowness Prize Finalist, MAPh
• 2018 - Bowness Prize Finalist, MAPh
• 2015 - Incinerator Art Award Finalist - Art for Social Change
• 2014 - Australian Post Graduate Award
• 2013 - Head On, Photo Festival and Portrait Prize, Finalist, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
• 2013 - Film Award – 'The Orchard'- First prize at the Queensland Multicultural Film Festival
• 2012 - Film Award – 'The Orchard'- Best Short Film, Best Script, Best Editing and Best Cinematography in a Short film - Ionian International Digital Film Festival - Greece
• 2008 - Hatched 08 an exhibition of works by top students from Australian Universities at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art 
• 2005 - First Class Honours Degree
• 2004 - Member of Golden Key International Honour Society