Pouya Afshar is an alumnus of the California Institute of Arts Character Animation department and is a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles Graduate Department of Film and Television focusing on Animation and Digital Media. He has exhibited his work as a visual artist throughout the United States and the Middle East, including Harold M. Williams Auditorium at the Getty Center, Bovard Auditorium at the University of Southern California, Royce Hall at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Monica Art Studios, 18th street Art Center, Craft Contemporary Museum, and numerous galleries and art fairs around the world. Pouya has presented his research at Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Southern California, The School of Museum of Fine Arts Boston, University of California Los Angeles, and Residency Unlimited NY. He is the creator, character designer, and producer of the animated series ‘Rostam in Wonderland’ the co-creator of ‘1PA2PA’ comics, and the creator of ‘TEHRAN’ graphic novel. He is currently an associate professor of art at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Pouya Afshar CV
EDUCATION: GRADUATE
2007–2009 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA — Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Animation, School of Film, Television, and Digital Media
2004–2007 California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Valencia, CA — Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Character Animation, School of Film and Video, Minor: Natural Science
ACADEMIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2014–Present University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA — Assistant Professor of Art, Art Department; Courses taught: 2D Animation I; Interactive Media; Introduction to 3D Modeling and Animation; Animation Studio
2013–2014 Marymount University, Palos Verdes, CA — Lecturer, Film and Video Department; Courses taught: Motion Graphics and Interactive Design; 2D Animation
2010–2014 Art Institute of California, Hollywood, Hollywood, CA — Part-Time Faculty, Animation and Visual Effects Department; Courses taught: Principles of 2D Animation; Animation Studio; Figure Drawing; Character and Object Design; Layout and Background Design; Language of Animation
2012–2013 Art Institute of California, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, CA — Part-Time Faculty, Animation and Visual Effects Department; Courses taught: Principles of 2D Animation; Character and Object Design
2004–2012 CalArts Community Arts Partnership, Valencia, CA — Animation and Drawing Instructor; Programs: Sony Pictures Media Arts Program; Inner-City Arts: DreamWorks Animation Academy; Artscool Program (in collaboration with Los Angeles Unified School District)
2009–2011 Inner-City Education Foundation, Los Angeles, CA — Part-Time Faculty, Art Department; Courses taught: Animation; Figure Drawing
2009–2010 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA — Guest Instructor, Art Department; Course: Art Education
SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2022 A Return to the Flesh, Advocartsy, Solo Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA, June–July
2021 Solo Exhibition, Craft Contemporary Museum, Los Angeles, CA, November
2020 South Asian and Islamic Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (TBA)
Out of Character, The Space by Advocartsy, Solo Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA, January
2018 Out of Character, Nicolas Flamel Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Paris, France, November, curated by Yasi Metghalchi
MournBabyMourn, The Space by Advocartsy, Solo Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA, January, curated by Roshi Rahnama
2017 MournBabyMourn, Dastan Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Tehran, Iran, July–August, curated by Ashkan Zahraei
2014 Romance with the Crow I Killed, Shulamit Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2013 The Mystery of Suveyda, Shulamit Gallery, Two-Person Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Seven Conquests of Story, Aun Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Tehran, Iran
2011 Div-e Aaz / The Demon of Greed, Aun Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Tehran, Iran
My Hijab Limitation, Not Immunization, 18th Street Arts Center, Duo Performance, Santa Monica, CA
2010 Disorderly Scuffled, Aun Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Tehran, Iran
2009 Figure in Motion, Annenberg Foundation, Solo Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND SCREENINGS
2025 Portraiture Now: Iranian Contemporary, Advocartsy West Hollywood, Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Vintage Modern, Advocartsy West Hollywood, Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Resilience, Advocartsy West Hollywood, Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Once Upon a Time, Advocartsy West Hollywood, Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Works on Paper from the Characters Series (2018), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA
2019 Contemporary Persian Moving Image Art at Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge, UK
Contemporary Photography and Video, University of California, Irvine, Viewpoint Gallery, Irvine, CA
American, Golden West College, Group Exhibition, Huntington Beach, CA
Displaced II (2018), Craft Contemporary Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Focus Iran III: Contemporary Photography and Video Competition, Craft and Folk Art Museum, finalist (short-listed), Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Brief IV: Iranian Contemporary San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, curated by Roshi Rahnama
Art & Design Collaboration, Advocartsy x Ryan Saghian, Los Angeles, CA
Mossavar-Nameh II, Teer Art Gallery, Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran, curated by Hormoz Hematian and Ashkan Zahraei
In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of the Past and Present in Iranian Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA, curated by Linda Komarov
2017 Earth Day, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Group Exhibition, Lowell, MA, curated by Ingrid Hess
2016 Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Rostam in Wonderland series, Los Angeles, CA, curated by Linda Komarov
MournBabyMourn, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), site-specific installation, permanent collection of Art of the Middle East, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Rostam in Wonderland, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), permanent collection of Art of the Middle East, Los Angeles, CA
Creative Art, Innovative Science, Aun Gallery, Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran
Group Exhibition, Adam Mickiewicz University / Art Bridges, Kalisz, Poland
Rostam in Wonderland, Crescent Moon Projects, screening, Access Theater, New York, NY, curated by Cyrus Samii
2014 Voided Loom: Kelardasht’s Carpet, New York University, screening, New York, NY
2013 Rostam in Wonderland: Sohrab’s Blood, Skirball Cultural Center, Noor Film Festival, screening, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Rostam in Wonderland: Sohrab’s Blood, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Farhang Short Film Festival, screening, Los Angeles, CA
Three Weeks in January by Suzanne Lacy, Getty’s Pacific Standard Time, video projection by Pouya Afshar, Los Angeles, CA
Chants from Paradise, Farjam Collection, special screening of The Voided Loom, Dubai, UAE
2011 LA vs. War: Art for Peace in the Hope Era, The Vortex, Group Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
The Voided Loom, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Farhang Short Film Festival, screening, Los Angeles, CA
Visual Performance, Royce Hall, UCLA, with Sima Bina and Lian Ensemble, Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibition, Nil Gallery, Tehran, Iran
Evolution/Revolution: The Interconnectedness of All Beings, Santa Monica Art Studios (ARENA 1), Group Exhibition, Santa Monica, CA
2008 Visions and Voices: Mystic Love and Personal Transformation, University of Southern California (USC), visual performance and video projection, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Sounds of LA, Harold M. Williams Auditorium, The Getty Center, video projection and visual poetry, Los Angeles, CA
2006 Group Exhibition, Gallery 1919 (El Gallo Café), Los Angeles, CA
2005 Out of Character, California Institute of the Arts, Group Exhibition, Valencia, CA, directed by Cornelius Cole III
