Artist Bio
Mahsa Attaran is an Iranian-born visual artist, photographer, and educator whose work explores culture, gender, and belonging through memory, exile, and domestic archives. Working across photography, video, installation, and conceptual wearables, she often uses the archive to preserve and reframe women’s histories. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Iranian Artists Forum, Iranian Art Museum, Windsor Art Center, and Hartford Theatreworks, and has been featured in Hyperallergic.
As an Iranian woman in exile, Attaran is committed to witnessing and refusing silence in the face of political violence and human rights abuses. She also leads workshops and talks that encourage critical engagement with social justice, memory, and responsibility. Attaran holds an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Connecticut and teaches on the Visual Arts faculty at The Loomis Chaffee School.
In addition to her academic and artistic practice, Attaran brings her distinctive perspective to commercial photography and videography. She collaborates with brands and businesses across industries—including fashion, jewelry, cosmetics, and food—creating imagery that balances technical precision with narrative depth. Her approach blends a sensitivity to cultural context, a thoughtful attention to detail, and a commitment to storytelling, ensuring that each project reflects both the client’s vision and her own unique lens as an artist.
Artist statement
Rooted in a deep love for heritage and family, my interdisciplinary practice is shaped by distance from Iran. Since leaving, my appreciation has heightened for everyday moments — the scent of home-cooked meals by maman, my baba’s hands, and my studio, TeamCheh, which we built as a family. This separation has deepened my responsibility toward my homeland, which has sharpened since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. My work celebrates culture while critiquing patriarchal systems, situating criticism as an act of care. I believe in art’s power to confront injustice, cultivate empathy, and challenge cultural silences while highlighting resilience and beauty. Inspiring even one person to question injustice is a step toward meaningful change.
Rooted in a deep love for heritage and family, my interdisciplinary practice is shaped by distance from Iran. Since leaving, my appreciation has heightened for everyday moments — the scent of home-cooked meals by maman, my baba’s hands, and my studio, TeamCheh, which we built as a family. This separation has deepened my responsibility toward my homeland, which has sharpened since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. My work celebrates culture while critiquing patriarchal systems, situating criticism as an act of care. I believe in art’s power to confront injustice, cultivate empathy, and challenge cultural silences while highlighting resilience and beauty. Inspiring even one person to question injustice is a step toward meaningful change.
CV
Education
Education
MFA in Studio Arts
University of Connecticut, 2025
GPA: 3.98/4
University of Connecticut, 2025
GPA: 3.98/4
B.Sc. in Anesthesia
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, 2012-2016
Honors Program - Dean’s List
GPA: 3.88/4
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, 2012-2016
Honors Program - Dean’s List
GPA: 3.88/4
Solo Exhibitions
My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Ball and Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026.
My Heart Is Tight For You, The Sue & Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
My Heart Is Tight For You, Theatreworks, Hartford, CT, USA, 2025.
Group Exhibitions
“Iranian Artist Highlights the Long Resistance.”, Slattery, Brian, Feature article on My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Midbrow, March 8, 2026.
“In Cheshire, An Iranian Artist Meets The Moment’’, Feature article on My Heart Is Bloodied For You, solo exhibition at Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, Arts Counsil Greater New Haven, March 4, 2026
Exhibit Is an Act of Love, for Family, Country, Human Rights, Feature article on My Heart Is Tight for You, Mercy Gallery. Loomis Chaffee School institutional publication, 2026.
Cooking with Fire: Mahsa Attaran Sears and Soars. Critical essay based on an interview with the artist, The Hartford Arts Pages, 2025.
My Heart Is Tight For You, Interview on Art, Human Rights, and Diasporic Memory, The Loomis Chaffee School News, 2025
False City, Exhibition Book by John O’Donnell. Includes featured works and artist statement by Mahsa Attaran, 2025.
Lost in Translation, review on My Heart Is Tight For You, Hartford Theater Works, Midbrow, 2025.
Featured Artist, Hyperallergic, Online Art Publication, 2024.
Hamlet, art, and "Poem Unlimited," Two Coats of Paint, 2023.
"Guerrilla Girls Art Exhibit is Witty, Eye-Opening," Interview, UND Today, University of North Dakota, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
Finalist, Parastar Photo Festival (FIAP), FIAP Artbook, Ardabil, Iran, 2018.
Cover Photographer, Shahrvand and Iran Newspapers, Featured Work on the Cover, Prominent Iranian Publications, 2016-2017.
Honors | Awards
Second Place, Vogue Talent Competition, in collaboration with Domus Academy Milano, Italy, 2021.
Third Place, Vogue Talent Competition, in collaboration with Domus Academy Milano, Italy, 2020.
Recognition, HIPAAE International Photography Competition, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards, Dubai, UAE, 2019.
Accepted, Two Photographs, Khayyam International Photography (FIAP), Iran, 2015.
79th Dead-end Photo Series, Directed and Photographed, Multiple Awards, Group Exhibitions and Publications, Iran, 2014.
Teaching Experience
Instructor of 3D Fabrication, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
Instructor of Videography, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
Instructor of Photography, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
Instructor of Photography, Enrichment Summer Program, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut, USA,2025.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Spring, 2025.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Fall, 2024.
Instructor of Photography, Enrichment Summer Program, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut, USA,2024.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Spring, 2024.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Fall, 2023.
Introduction to Video Art, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Spring, 2023.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Fall, 2022.
Photography Workshops and Classes, Independent Educator, various locations globally. Successfully taught over 460 students foundational and advanced photography techniques, including composition, lighting, and DSLR camera operations, 2016-2021.
Other Work Experiences
Graduate Assistant, Middle Eastern Cultural Programs, led and coordinated cultural programs, successfully organizing events that engaged over 200 attendees and fostered community connections and cultural awareness, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2022-2024.
Graduate Research Assistant, University of North Dakota’s Art Collections, supported research initiatives and contributed to the management of art collections, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
Photography instructor, workshops and courses on composition, staging, post-processing, and lighting for industrial and commercial photography, engaging over 400 participants both online and in-person, including international students, 2016-2021.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Abdollahian Copper Company (Bentwood Art Company), British Columbia, Canada – Tehran, Iran, 2020.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Roymano plant-based products, Tehran, Iran, 2020.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Tandis Trading Center, Shiraz, Iran, 2019.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Rosha Café, Shiraz, Iran, 2019.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Erfan Shoes and Bags, Shiraz, Iran, 2018.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Taradis Fine Jewelry Gallery, Shiraz, Iran, 2017.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Labanika Dairy, Shiraz, Iran, 2016.
Surgical procedures photographer, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, 2013-2016.
Documentary photographer, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, 2013.
My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Ball and Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026.
My Heart Is Tight For You, The Sue & Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
My Heart Is Tight For You, Theatreworks, Hartford, CT, USA, 2025.
Group Exhibitions
Unfolding Between Walls, Ely Center of Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT, USA, 2025.
[HUMAN/NATURE], 50 Arrow Gallery, East Hampton, MA, USA, 2025.
Hold Fast, Automat Collective, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2025.
ÆMPIRE AGAIN\, Hartford Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT, USA, 2025.
False City, Hartford Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT, USA, 2025.
Mystics of Home, 82 Parris St Gallery, Portland , ME, USA, 2025.
Hold Fast, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2025.
Under The Influence, LUX Center For The Arts, Lincoln, NE, USA, 2025.
Big Top, Two Coats of Paint Project Space, Dumbo Open Studios, New York City, New York, USA, 2024.
Partial Company, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
UN-ART, Hartford Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT, USA, 2024.
Unveiled Silence, Two-Person Exhibition and Artist Talk, Windsor Art Center, Windsor, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
Group Exhibition, Kinesiology Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Untold, Arena Gallery, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Deeply Rooted, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Poem Unlimited, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Raid the Archive, Edwin Way Teale and New Works, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Together Again on the Ramp, Arena Gallery, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2022.
Graduate Exhibition, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
10 Days with Iranian Photographers, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran, 2018.
Parastar Photo Festival (FIAP), Finalist, Exhibition, Ardabil, Iran, 2018.
Sayeh Roshan, Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran, 2017.
Tasvir-e-Sal Photo Festival, Group Exhibition, Iranian Art Museum, Tehran, Iran, 2016-2017
Curatorial Projects
Raid the Archive: Edwin Way Teale and New Works, co-curator, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, CT, USA, 2023.
Guerrilla Girls Exhibition, The Art of Behaving Badly, co-curator and installer, University of North Dakota Art Collections, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
Performances | Social Practice
My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Artist Talk, Cheshire Public Library, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026.
My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Artist Talk, Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026.
Art in Justice/Art as Justice, Workshop, Martin Luther King Jr. Week, The Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, 2026.
My Heart Is Tight For You, Artist Talk, The Sue & Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
[HUMAN/NATURE], 50 Arrow Gallery, East Hampton, MA, USA, 2025.
Hold Fast, Thesis Talk, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2025.
Unveiled Silence, Proposed Two-Person Exhibition and Artist Talk, Windsor Art Center, Windsor, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
Artist Talk, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
[HUMAN/NATURE], 50 Arrow Gallery, East Hampton, MA, USA, 2025.
Hold Fast, Automat Collective, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 2025.
ÆMPIRE AGAIN\, Hartford Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT, USA, 2025.
False City, Hartford Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT, USA, 2025.
Mystics of Home, 82 Parris St Gallery, Portland , ME, USA, 2025.
Hold Fast, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2025.
Under The Influence, LUX Center For The Arts, Lincoln, NE, USA, 2025.
Big Top, Two Coats of Paint Project Space, Dumbo Open Studios, New York City, New York, USA, 2024.
Partial Company, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
UN-ART, Hartford Art Space Gallery, Hartford, CT, USA, 2024.
Unveiled Silence, Two-Person Exhibition and Artist Talk, Windsor Art Center, Windsor, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
Group Exhibition, Kinesiology Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Untold, Arena Gallery, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Deeply Rooted, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Poem Unlimited, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Raid the Archive, Edwin Way Teale and New Works, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2023.
Together Again on the Ramp, Arena Gallery, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2022.
Graduate Exhibition, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
10 Days with Iranian Photographers, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran, 2018.
Parastar Photo Festival (FIAP), Finalist, Exhibition, Ardabil, Iran, 2018.
Sayeh Roshan, Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran, 2017.
Tasvir-e-Sal Photo Festival, Group Exhibition, Iranian Art Museum, Tehran, Iran, 2016-2017
Curatorial Projects
Raid the Archive: Edwin Way Teale and New Works, co-curator, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, CT, USA, 2023.
Guerrilla Girls Exhibition, The Art of Behaving Badly, co-curator and installer, University of North Dakota Art Collections, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
Performances | Social Practice
The Gossiping Aunties, social-practice performance using collective cooking and storytelling to explore Persian culinary traditions, domestic kitchens, and gendered roles, Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026
The Gossiping Aunties, social-practice performance using hands-on food preparation and collaborative storytelling to examine the role of women in domestic spaces and patriarchal structures, 50 Arrow Gallery, East Hampton, MA, USA, 2025
Artist Talks | WorkshopsThe Gossiping Aunties, social-practice performance using hands-on food preparation and collaborative storytelling to examine the role of women in domestic spaces and patriarchal structures, 50 Arrow Gallery, East Hampton, MA, USA, 2025
My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Artist Talk, Cheshire Public Library, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026.
My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Artist Talk, Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, USA, 2026.
Art in Justice/Art as Justice, Workshop, Martin Luther King Jr. Week, The Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, 2026.
My Heart Is Tight For You, Artist Talk, The Sue & Eugene Mercy Jr. Gallery, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
[HUMAN/NATURE], 50 Arrow Gallery, East Hampton, MA, USA, 2025.
Hold Fast, Thesis Talk, Benton Museum of Art, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2025.
Unveiled Silence, Proposed Two-Person Exhibition and Artist Talk, Windsor Art Center, Windsor, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
Artist Talk, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2024.
Residencies
Elf School of Arts, Hayesville, NC, USA, 2025.
PublicationsElf School of Arts, Hayesville, NC, USA, 2025.
“Iranian Artist Highlights the Long Resistance.”, Slattery, Brian, Feature article on My Heart Is Bloodied For You, Midbrow, March 8, 2026.
“In Cheshire, An Iranian Artist Meets The Moment’’, Feature article on My Heart Is Bloodied For You, solo exhibition at Ball & Socket Arts, Cheshire, CT, Arts Counsil Greater New Haven, March 4, 2026
Exhibit Is an Act of Love, for Family, Country, Human Rights, Feature article on My Heart Is Tight for You, Mercy Gallery. Loomis Chaffee School institutional publication, 2026.
Cooking with Fire: Mahsa Attaran Sears and Soars. Critical essay based on an interview with the artist, The Hartford Arts Pages, 2025.
My Heart Is Tight For You, Interview on Art, Human Rights, and Diasporic Memory, The Loomis Chaffee School News, 2025
False City, Exhibition Book by John O’Donnell. Includes featured works and artist statement by Mahsa Attaran, 2025.
Lost in Translation, review on My Heart Is Tight For You, Hartford Theater Works, Midbrow, 2025.
Featured Artist, Hyperallergic, Online Art Publication, 2024.
Hamlet, art, and "Poem Unlimited," Two Coats of Paint, 2023.
"Guerrilla Girls Art Exhibit is Witty, Eye-Opening," Interview, UND Today, University of North Dakota, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
Finalist, Parastar Photo Festival (FIAP), FIAP Artbook, Ardabil, Iran, 2018.
Cover Photographer, Shahrvand and Iran Newspapers, Featured Work on the Cover, Prominent Iranian Publications, 2016-2017.
Honors | Awards
Second Place, Vogue Talent Competition, in collaboration with Domus Academy Milano, Italy, 2021.
Third Place, Vogue Talent Competition, in collaboration with Domus Academy Milano, Italy, 2020.
Recognition, HIPAAE International Photography Competition, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards, Dubai, UAE, 2019.
Accepted, Two Photographs, Khayyam International Photography (FIAP), Iran, 2015.
79th Dead-end Photo Series, Directed and Photographed, Multiple Awards, Group Exhibitions and Publications, Iran, 2014.
Teaching Experience
Instructor of 3D Fabrication, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
Instructor of Videography, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
Instructor of Photography, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT, USA, 2025.
Instructor of Photography, Enrichment Summer Program, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut, USA,2025.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Spring, 2025.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Fall, 2024.
Instructor of Photography, Enrichment Summer Program, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut, USA,2024.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Spring, 2024.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Instructor of Record, University of Connecticut, Fall, 2023.
Introduction to Video Art, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Spring, 2023.
Basic Studio Photography (Digital), Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Connecticut, Fall, 2022.
Photography Workshops and Classes, Independent Educator, various locations globally. Successfully taught over 460 students foundational and advanced photography techniques, including composition, lighting, and DSLR camera operations, 2016-2021.
Other Work Experiences
Graduate Assistant, Middle Eastern Cultural Programs, led and coordinated cultural programs, successfully organizing events that engaged over 200 attendees and fostered community connections and cultural awareness, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA, 2022-2024.
Graduate Research Assistant, University of North Dakota’s Art Collections, supported research initiatives and contributed to the management of art collections, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA, 2022.
Photography instructor, workshops and courses on composition, staging, post-processing, and lighting for industrial and commercial photography, engaging over 400 participants both online and in-person, including international students, 2016-2021.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Abdollahian Copper Company (Bentwood Art Company), British Columbia, Canada – Tehran, Iran, 2020.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Roymano plant-based products, Tehran, Iran, 2020.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Tandis Trading Center, Shiraz, Iran, 2019.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Rosha Café, Shiraz, Iran, 2019.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Erfan Shoes and Bags, Shiraz, Iran, 2018.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Taradis Fine Jewelry Gallery, Shiraz, Iran, 2017.
Fine Art commercial photographer and art director, Labanika Dairy, Shiraz, Iran, 2016.
Surgical procedures photographer, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, 2013-2016.
Documentary photographer, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, 2013.