Helia Pouyanfar
(b. 1995, Iran)
helia.pouyanfar@gmail.com | https://heliapouyanfar.com/ | IG @heliapouyanfar
Education
2022 University of California Davis, MFA in Studio Art
2019 University of California Berkeley, BA in Art Practice
Awards, Fellowships, Grants, and Nominations
2026 Sculpture Space Residency, Sculpture Space in Utica, New York, Recipient
2025 Real Time and Space Residency, Real Time and Space, Oakland, Recipient
2025 Makaan Arts Residency, Minnesota Street Project, Recipient
2025 Recology Artists In Residence, Recology San Francisco (AIR) Program, Recipient
2024 Right Here, Right Now, Richmond Art Center Commissioning and Exhibition Award, Recipient
2024 2024 SECA Art Award, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Nominee
2023 2023 Young Sculptors Competition, William and Dorothy Yeck Award, Miami University, Finalist
2023 2024 Berkeley Civic Arts Individual Artist Project Grant, City of Berkeley, Grantee
2023 Kala’s 2023-2024 Fellowship and Special Program Award, Kala Art Institute, Recipient
2023 Juror’s Choice Award, Berkeley Art Center, Recipient
2022 Headlands Center for the Arts Graduate Fellowship, Finalist and Alternate
2022 Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship, Nominee
2021 Margrit Mondavi Graduate Fellowship, UC Davis Humanities Institute, Recipient
2021 Mary Lou Osborn Award, UC Davis Art Studio MFA, Recipient
2019 Lauren Krikorian Memorial Prize, UC Berkeley Art Practice, Recipient
2019 Certificate of Excellence in Sculpture, UC Berkeley Art Practice, Recipient
2018 Honors Program and Studio, UC Berkeley Art Practice, Recipient
Solo Exhibition
2025 Recology Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA (forthcoming)
2025 Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA (forthcoming)
2024 Breathing House, FOYER-LA, Los Angeles
2018 Reflection Garden, Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles
2018 Rhythmical Abstraction, 165, Project Space 1, UC Berkeley
Group Exhibitions
2025 Unmoored, Makaan at Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
2025 Aknoon at Makaan, Minnesota Street Projects, San Francisco, CA
2025 MUDROOM, FOYER-LA, Los Angeles, CA
2025 The Play, Your Mood Projects, San Francisco, CA
2024 Temporary Space, 120710 Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2024 Right Here, Right Now, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
2024 Around About, MUZ Collective, San Francisco and Oakland, CA
2024 Kala Arts Fellowship and Media Fellowship Exhibition, Kala Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2023 2023 International Juried Exhibition, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA
2023 Apostrophe, Personal Space, Vallejo, CA
2023 The de Young Open 2023, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
2023 Young Sculptors Exhibition, Miami University, OH
2023 ME in a(ME)rica, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2023 Excursions, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
2023 Selvedge, FOYER-LA, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Pyramid Scheme, Bass and Reiner, San Francisco, CA
2023 FORECAST 2023, SF Camerawork, San Francisco, CA
2023 Rebirth, WAVE Collective Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 Woman, Life, Freedom, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 Prismatic, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
2023 Anonymouslyاز Iran, Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery, Queens, NY
2022 Mirror Material, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
2022 Path, The Niche at Dovetail Magazine, Scotland
2022 Introductions 2022, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2022 Axis Gallery's 17th National Juried Exhibition, Sacramento, CA
2022 Topophilia, Art and Humanities 2022 Gradate Exhibition, Manetti Shrem Museum, Davis, CA
2021 Free Fall, Brittany, Vallejo, CA
2021 Un/Equal Freedoms: Expressions for Social Justice, Center on Race, Immigration, and Social
Justice, Sacramento State University, CA
2020 Reflection, National Juried Exhibition, Arc Gallery & Studios, San Francisco, CA
2019 Liminal Space: Spring 2019 Senior Thesis Exhibition, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, UC Berkeley
2019 Support Group, call (510) 402-2086, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, UC Berkeley
2018 The Berkeley Biennial, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, UC Berkeley
2018 Re-reimagined, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, UC Berkeley
2018 Everything Must Go, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, UC Berkeley
Publication
2024 Toronto Zine Fair, Falgoush Journal, Toronto
2024 Paris Ass Book Fair, Falgoush Journal, Paris
2024 San Francisco Art Fair, Personal Space, Fort Mason, San Francisco
2024 New York Art Book Fair, Falgoush Journal, New York City
2023 SFMOMA Book Bazaar with Kala Art Institute, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA
2023 New York City Poetry Festival, Falgoush Journal, New York City
2023 East Village Zine Fest, Falgoush Journal, New York City
2022 Topophilia, UC Davis Art Studio MFA, Exhibition Catalog
2022 Once There, Now Here, Open Ceilings, Summer 2022 Issue
2022 - Once, in passing, Edition One Books, Self-Publication
2020 Reflection Catalog, Arc Gallery & Studios, National Juried Exhibition
2020 MFA Never Catalog, Root Division, 2020 Archive Project/ Juried Exhibition
2020 Made at Berkeley Showcase Book, Issue 04, Berkeley Arts + Design
Talks and Interviews
2024 Breathing House, FOYER-LA, Artist Discussion
2024 Where the Tree Grows, Kala Art Gallery, Artist Talk
2024 Passage, San Jose City College, Artist Talk
2023 Religious Traditions and Intellectual Work, Berkeley Institute, Public Lecture
2023 FORECAST 2023, SF Camerawork, Exhibition Walkthrough
2023 Excursions, Berkeley Art Center, Artist Talk and Panel Discussion
2023 Passage, UC Berkeley, Artist Talk
2022 Once There, Now Here, UC Berkeley’s Senior Projects Seminar, Artist Talk
2021 The lives of UC Davis art students in quarantine, California Aggie, Interview
2021 Episode 6: New Beginnings Podcast, Basement Gallery, Interview
2020 Reflection Exhibition, Arc Gallery, Artist Talk
Press
2024 In Conversation with Helia Pouyanfar about her project Breathing House:
Teaching, Internships, and Committees
Current Middle School Teaching Artist and Faculty, The Berkeley School, Berkeley, CA
Summer 2022 Beginning Photography, Lecturer, University of California, Davis, CA
Spring 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, Appointed Member, Art Studio Department,
University of California, Davis, CA
Spring 2022 Intermediate Printmaking: Relief, Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, University of
California, Davis, CA
Winter 2022 Beginning Photography, Associate Instructor, University of California, Davis, CA
Fall 2021 Contemporary Art Appreciation, Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, University of
California, Davis, CA
Spring 2021 Contemporary Art Appreciation, Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, University of
California, Davis, CA
Winter 2021 Beginning Drawing, Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, University of California,
Davis, CA
Fall 2020 Beginning Sculpture, Graduate Student Teaching Assistant, University of California,
Davis, CA
Summer 2019 Studio Assistant, Brody Reiman’s Studio, Berkeley, CA
Summer 2018 Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program, Skirball Cultural Center,
Los Angeles, CA