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

Key activities
Artist/Researcher/Lecturer

Industry Experience

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