Bahareh Rostakiani

Bahareh Rostakiani is a curator and art historian who completed her M.A. in Art History and Curatorial Studies, along with her Curatorial Studies Diploma, at York University in Toronto in June 2024, supported by a fully funded grant. Since the spring of 2022, she has been part of Cinema Iranica project. Bahareh also holds two additional M.A. degrees: one in the Philosophy of Art from the Art University of Tehran and another in English Literature from Tehran University.
In autumn 2022, she received a prize for her recent exhibition at the Goldfarb Art Gallery from YUGSA. Since May 2024, Bahareh has contributed to the University of Toronto’s Iranica, reflecting her deep appreciation for Iranian history and culture, particularly regarding Persian architecture and the geometry of the Seljuk period.
Her work investigates the interplay between contemporary art and historical contexts, positioning contemporary art as the purest expression of human emotion, akin to the ‘mega’ in physics, where unseen yet profound truths shape our understanding of the universe.
Bahareh’s research focuses on contemporary art, with an emphasis on Iranian art, Canada’s Iranian art scene, and the diaspora. In her work, she explores the intersection of architecture, geometry, and Iranian art, examining how these elements foster deeper connections between people and contemporary art.

Contributions

Circumventing Censorship in Iranian Cinema: On Unruled Paper and What Time Is It in Your World?

Figure 1: Poster from the films Kāghaz-i bī’khat (Unruled Paper, 2002) and Dar dunyā-yi tu sā‛at chand ast (What Time…