Elyas Alavi is a published poet, curator, and visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, sculpture, installation, moving image, poetry, and performance. His work examines the complex intersections of race, displacement, gender, religion, and sexuality, addressing hyper-invisibilities and challenging conventional notions of culture and belonging. Alavi’s practice often interrogates histories in the South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region, exploring their entanglements with globalization, settler colonialism, and the mobility and displacement of Black and Brown bodies.
Alavi holds a Master of Visual Arts from the University of South Australia (2016) and a Master of Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Arts, University of London (2020).
Alavi has published three poetry collections, earning critical acclaim and winning several prestigious literary awards, including the International Peace Poetry Prize in Tajikistan (2012), the Annual Reporters Poetry Prize in Tehran (2009), the Young Poets Book of the Year in Iran (2008), and the Afghan Young Poets Prize (2007). His poetry has been translated into English, Greek, Urdu, Kurdish, and Spanish, and has appeared in prominent publications such as World Literature Today (University of Oklahoma) and the PARSE Journal (University of Gothenburg).
He has been commissioned by a number of galleries, artist-run initiatives, and biennales, including the Sydney Biennale, Lahore Biennale, ACE, TarraWarra Biennale, Griffith University, Hyphenated Biennale, Granville Arts Centre, Next Wave, Nexus, POP, and UTS. Alavi is also a recipient of the prestigious Samstag Research Fellowship, which enabled him to further his professional practice through in situ research in London.
CV
Education
2020 Master of Fine Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, London
2016 Masters of Visual Arts, University of South Australia
2012 Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours), University of South Australia
Book Publications
2015 Hodood, Poetry and drawing book, Nimaj publisher, Tehran
2011 Bazi Zakhmha(Some Wounds), Drawing & poetry book, Kabul
2012 I’m a Day-dreamer wolf, 2007, (5th edition in 2016), Tehran
Select Solo Exhibitions
2024 علمALAM, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney
2024 Sound of Silence (#1), 24th Sydney Biennale, UNSW Galleries, Sydney
2024 That I Could Fear a Door: storie di case e di vento, MUSMA, Matera, Italy, Museum of Contemporary Sculpture in Matera (curated by Exo Arts Lab and Simona Spinella)
2024 3rd Lahore Biennale, Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan
2023 دیگرگونه , Another Kind, Gertrude Glasshouse, Melbourne
2022 Not Just a Shadow (stage 2), POP Gallery, Adelaide
2021 Beyond the Mountains and the Sea, Sauerbier House, Adelaide
2019 A Desolate Voice, M. Contemporary, Sydney
2019 Daydreamer Wolf (stage 3) ACE Open, Adelaide
2018 Daydreamer Wolf (stage 2), Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney
2017 Rag/Vein, Mohsen Gallery, Tehran
2017 We Die So That, Nexus Arts Gallery, Adelaide
2016 HALAL, Fontanelle Gallery, Adelaide
2015 Ordugah/Detention Camp, Mashad, Iran
Select Group Exhibitions
2024 Reesha, Blindside Ari, Melbourne
2024 The 68th Blake Art Prize, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
2024 Incinerator Art Award: Art for Social Change, Incinerator Gallery, Melbourne
2023 Let the bād speak, Fonazione 107, Turin, Italy (curated by Exo Arts Lab)
2023 TarraWarra Biennial, TarraWarra Museum, VIC
2023 Destiny Disrupted, Griffith University Museum of Art, QLD
2022 Not Just a Shadow(stage 1), Hyphenated Biennale, Substation, Melbourne
2022 20Years, Blacktown Arts Centre, NSW
2022 Destiny Disrupted, (Eleven Collective), Granville Centre Art Gallery, NSW
2022 67th Blake Prize finalist exhibition, Casula Powerhouse ArtsCentre, NSW
2022 An Obstinate Prophet, Performance at Neoteric exhibition, SA
2021 group exhibition at Constance ARI as part of Mona Foma Festival, Hobart
2021 Cameleers, (as part of Hyphenated Biennale), Footscray Arts Centre, VIC
2020 FIELD NOTES, Sauerbier House Gallery, SA
2019 Tele-Tales, Robert Kananaj Gallery, Toronto
2019 Pretty Ugly, Cookhouse gallery, London
2018 Daneha/Seeds, Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney
2017 The Invisible, UTS Gallery, Sydney
2017 Nimrouz, Niyavaran Art Gallery, Tehran
2017 Home thoughts from abroad, Praxis gallery
Residencies
2023 Gertrude Contemporary studio residency, Melbourne
2022 Hyphenated Projects, Melbourne
2023 Jersey Arts Residency, Jersey, UK
2022 Sauerbier House studio residency, Adelaide
2020 ED Tweddell Studio Residency, Central Studio, Adelaide
Curating
2023 VASL, Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Uni SA, Adelaide
2022 TIMELESS, VASL, Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Uni SA, Adelaide
2021 CONTACT, Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, This exhibition won the Bank (Best Visual Art & Design Adelaide Fringe Award)
2019 Cultivate, Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Adelaide
2017 Fly Away, Kerry Packer gallery & Nexus Arts
2014 Marzaha/Borders, Nexus gallery, Adelaide
Teaching Experience
2017-22 Art facilitator, Neami National, Adelaide
2017 DreamBig Children Festival, Artist in school residency
2017 Pom Pom (Carclew in Elizabeth)
2017 Artist in school residency program at Darlington school
2016 Art & poetry workshops at STTARS