Sara Madandar is an Iranian multi-disciplinary artist and educator based in New Orleans. She received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and her BA in painting from Azad University of Art and Architecture in Tehran. Through a range of media such as painting, video, installation, and performance, Madandar explores migration and the human experience of living between cultures, using the aesthetics of language, clothing, and bodies to study the complexities of cross-cultural experiences. Most recently, she was in residency at Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans. Some of her accolades include an award from the Texas Visual Artists Association (TVAA) and an award from the Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) for work presented in an exhibition curated by Jessica Beck of the Andy Warhol Museum. Sara’s work has been featured at New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans Contemporary Art Center, Austin City Hall, Elisabeth Ney Museum, Elga Wimmer PCC (NYC), and many others.
EDUCATION
2011 - 2014 | Master in Fine Arts | The University of Texas at Austin
Studio Art specializing in painting, with a secondary focus on Performance and Video Art
2004 - 2009 | Bachelor of Arts | Azad University of Tehran, Iran
Specialization in painting
EXHIBITIONS & CREATIONS
GALLERY SHOWS
2023— Open studio at Camp Street Studios — New Orleans, LA
2023— Group show "Echoes and Shadows" at The Parlour gallery — New Orleans, LA
2023— Group show “Anonymous Iran” at Culture Lab LIC — New York, NY
2023— Solo show "Let Us Believe in The Beginning of The Cold Season” at New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts — New Orleans, LA
2022— Group show “Artists Respond: Post-Roe Louisiana” at Tulane University Caroll Gallery — New Orleans, LA
2022— Solo show “My Body Is My Home” at The Southeastern Louisiana University Contemporary Art gallery — Hammond, LA
2022— Curating “Body Politics: Celebrating Ardeshir Mohassess’ legacy in art and politics” at SPILLMAN | BLACKWELL Fine Art— New Orleans, LA
2022— Group show “24 HOURS OF WONDER” at Eisenwunderwelt gallery — Berlin, Germany
2022 — Group show “Revolution” at Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) gallery — Santa Fe, NM
2022— Group show “Summer Reading” at Caroll gallery— New Orleans, LA
2022— Group show "I Know A Place"at The Antenna gallery — New Orleans, LA
2022— Solo show “The Window” at The Front gallery — New Orleans, LA
2021 — Group show “Nothing Toulouse” at The Front gallery — New Orleans, LA
2021 — Solo show “Let Us Believe In…” at The Front gallery — New Orleans, LA
2021 — Group show “Imbolc” at The Front gallery — New Orleans, LA
2021 — Virtual group show at 13Project Exhibition.
2020 — Group show at Platform Gallery “Emotional Numbness: The impact of war on the human psyche and ecosystems” — Tehran, Iran
2020 — Juried National Drawing Exhibition "Form, Line, Shape and Space" at Todd Art Gallery, MTSU — Murfreesboro, TN
2019 — Solo show at Co-Lab Project Gallery “A Land with no Name” — Austin, TX
2019 — Solo show at Elga Wimmer Gallery “Pink Dreams in A Land with no Name” — New York, NY
2019 — Group show at Barrister’s Gallery “And Another Thing…” — New Orleans, LA
2019— Solo show at Aquarium Gallery “In Memory of Aziz” — New Orleans, LA
2018-2019 — Group show at New Orleans Museum of Art “Ear to the Ground” — New Orleans, LA
2018 — Group show at New Orleans Academy of Fine arts — New Orleans, LA
2018-2019 — Public art project, 3D installation “The Dwelling” — Colorado Spring, CO
2018 — Solo show at ArtEgg Studios “My Body Is My Home” — New Orleans, LA
2018 — Group show at The New Orleans Arts Center “B4 Peace” — New Orleans, LA
2017 — Group show at LeMieux Galleries “Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series” — New Orleans, LA
2017 — Group show at the Irving Arts Center “6th Annual Juried International Exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art” — Irving, TX
2017 — Group show at Viridian Artists gallery “Selfies & Self-Portraits: 21st C Artists See Themselves” — New York, NY
2017 — Group show “Ephemera Obscura” at Contemporary Art Center (CAC) — New Orleans, LA
2017 — Group show at Southeastern Louisiana University Contemporary Art Gallery — Hammond, LA
2017 — Part of Newcomb museum curatorial group “Beyond the Canvas” — New Orleans, LA
2017 — Group show as part of Austin West Studio Tour — Austin, TX
2017 — Public art project, 3D installation, at Elizabeth Ney Museum — Austin, TX
2017 — HOUSE of Wahala: art auction part of Fusebox festival at Women & their works gallery — Austin, TX
2017 — Group show at Tipton Gallery “32nd Positive/Negative” — Johnson City, TN
2017 — Group show at Foundry Art Center “Luck of the Draw” — St. Charles, MO
2016 — TVAA National exhibition — Mesquite, TX
2016 — Group show at 701 Gallery — Austin, TX
2016 — Open studio as part of Austin West Studio Tour — Austin, TX
2016 — Solo show at Courtyard gallery — Austin, TX
2016-2017— Group show at People's gallery— Austin, TX
2016 — Group show at Asian American Resource Center (AARC) — Austin, TX
2015 — SECAC Members’ Exhibition — Pittsburgh, PA
2015 — Solo show “Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season” at MOM gallery — Austin, TX
2014 — Group show “Conspectus: Two Thousand Fourteen” at Co-Lab project gallery — Austin, TX
2014 — Graduate thesis show “Pool”, at the Visual Arts Center — Austin, TX
2014 — Solo show “Something Left Behind” at Co-Lab Project gallery — Austin, TX
2013 — Group show “Inter Connections” at the WoCa Project gallery — Fort Worth, TX
2013 — Open studio exhibition “SOMETHING” — Austin, TX
2013 — Group show “Something Lost” at Trinity University gallery — San Antonio, TX
2013 — Group show “Something Lost” at the Nelsen Partners gallery — Austin, TX
2012 — Open studio exhibition “Absence” — Austin, TX
2010 — Group show “The Same Pain” at Azadi Tower gallery — Tehran, Iran
2009 — Solo show “Self-Portrait” at Banafsheh gallery — Tehran, Iran
2008 — Group show in the Architecture & Art department at Azad University — Tehran, Iran
PERFORMANCE ART
2022— Participatory performance “My Body Is My Home” at The Southeastern Louisiana University Contemporary Art gallery — Hammond, LA
2018 — Participatory performance “My Body Is My Home” at SFAI gallery — Santa Fe, NM
2018 — Participatory performance “My Body Is My Home” at ArtEgg Studios — New Orleans, LA
2014 — Stage performance “Being/With Others” at the Theater Lab — Austin, TX
2013 — Street performance “Behind the Black Veil” — Austin, TX
2013 — Collaboration in the public performance “Beauty” by Wura-Natasha Ogunji — Austin, TX
2012 — Public-Participatory performance “The Void” — Austin, TX
VIDEO ART
2023 — Video installation “Prayer Cloak” at The Parlour gallery — Hammond, LA
2022— Video installation “Obscene Bodies” at The Southeastern Louisiana University Contemporary Art gallery — Hammond, LA
2017— Video installation “My Body is My Home” at Brooklyn Studio for Dance — Brooklyn, NY
2016— Video installation “The Sidewalk” at Asian American Resource Center (AARC) — Austin, TX
2015 — “30 Seconds” at MOM gallery- Austin, TX
2014 — “The Prayer” at Co-Lab Project gallery — Austin, TX
2014 — Video installation “Obscene Bodies” at Visual Arts Center — Austin, TX
2013 — Video installation “The Sidewalk” at Co-Lab Project gallery — Austin, TX
2013 — “Counting the Moments” at Fine Arts department, UT — Austin, TX
SELECTED CONFERENCE & ARTIST TALK
2022 — Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University — Grand Rapids, MI
2022 — Artist talk "My Body Is My Home" The Southeastern Louisiana University — Hammond, LA
2022 — Visiting artist "Women's work", Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC /MCCCD) — Chandler, AZ
2021— Visiting artist "Window", California Institute of The Arts — Valencia, CA
2020— Artist talk part of Photo Nola Festival "Let Us Believe In..."— New Orleans, LA
2020— Visit/lecture at The University of Texas at Austin — Austin, TX
2020— Visit/lecture at Columbus State University — Columbus, GA
2019 — Artist talk at New Orleans Museum of Art — New Orleans, LA
2018 — Artist talk at Louisiana State University(LSU) — Baton Rouge, LA
2018 — The 32nd Annual Conference of Society for Science, Literature and Art (SLSA) “Out of Mind” — Toronto, Canada
2018 — Part of ArtEgg Studio’s Lecture Series “My Body Is My Home” — New Orleans, LA
2018 — 10th Annual Peace Conference “Feminity and Creativity” at Loyola University— New Orleans, LA
2017 — Society for Science, Literature and Art (SLSA) Annual Conference “Space, Time, and Body in Modern and Contemporary Art” — phoenix, AZ
AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & RESIDENCIES
2023 — Saatchi Art's 23 Artists selection to Watch in 2023 campaign
2023 — Workshop Rivers Institute for Contemporary Art & Thought and Amistad Research Center — New Orleans, LA
2022 — One of the founders of Camp Street Studios and Parlour gallery — New Orleans, LA
2022 — Puffin Foundation grant — Teaneck, NJ
2022 —Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI)” Revolution” — Santa Fe, NM
2021-2023 — Member of the collective The Front gallery — New Orleans, LA
2021-2022 — Residency at JMR (Joan Mitchel Residency) — New Orleans, LA
2021 — PHF (Persian Heritage Foundation) grant regarding Ardeshir Mohassess exhibition — New Orleans, LA
2020 — Southern Heat Exchange virtual residency— New Orleans, LA
2017— Cultures Alive grant for The Dwelling project— Austin, TX
2017-2018 — Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI)”Equal Justice” — Santa Fe, NM
2016 — TVAA (Texas visual arts association), second place, Curated by Andrea Karnes the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth — Dallas, TX
2015 — SECAC member show, second place, curated by Jessica Beck of the Andy Warhol museum — Pittsburgh, PA
2013 — Quaid-E-Azam Scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin —Austin, TX
2013 — Residency at Vermont Studio Center — Johnson, VT
2013-2014 — Marshal F. Wells Fellowship and Scholarship Endowment — Austin, TX
2012-2013 — Marshal F. Wells Fellowship and Scholarship Endowment — Austin, TX
2011 — William and Betty Newlin Presidential Exhibition — Austin, TX
