Ashkan Behjou

Ashkan Bahjou (born in 1987, Tehran, Iran), is a sculptor based in Tehran. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in interior design from the University of Fine Arts Tehran. In 2022, Ashkan held his first solo exhibition at the Soo contemporary, drawing inspiration from Islamic architecture. His exhibition featured sculptures inspired by the novel “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino. With his background in architecture, Ashkan is able to create ceramic sculptures that evoke a sense of familiarity while belonging nowhere, entirely crafted by the artist’s mind. 

Shirin Gharavisky (Tehran, Iran) is the founding director of Soo Contemporary. After finishing her university studies in Industrial Engineering and working on construction projects and project management in Iran, she moved to Toronto, Canada to pursue an artistic career and study art. There she studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD U) and obtained a BA degree in Fine Arts. In 2017, she returned to Tehran to establish an art gallery in the Iranian capital. As so, Soo Contemporary was founded in Tehran in 2017. 

Soo’s first venue, located in the north of Tehran, served as an interim space for two years while Shirin simultaneously managed a large renovation project at the current venue of Soo Contemporary in downtown Tehran. Under her direction, Soo showcases works and projects by some of the youngest generations of Iranian artists, fresh talents, cutting-edge media, and new genres, as well as promoting its spectrum of interest in more traditional media as well as emerging and more established artists. 

Soo Contemporary has become a space for artistic expression, having hosted more than 80 exhibitions that have brought together the talents of over 230 artists. In addition to her directorial role, Shirin has served as the curator for 10 exhibitions at Soo, promoting her perspective on contemporary art. 

Continuing these efforts, in 2020, her passion for art transcended conventional spaces as she founded Soo Community, an initiative that goes beyond the confines of a physical space. Soo Community has hosted 10 site-specific projects and events that focus on the underground currents in the Iranian art scene, connecting artists with a wider audience and making possible boundless artistic expressions. 

Establishment of Soo Contemporary Art Gallery

“Soo Contemporary” is a contemporary art gallery in Tehran, Iran. While mainly focusing on showcasing the youngest generations of Iranian artists, fresh talents, cutting-edge media and new genres, Soo also seeks to promote its spectrum of interest in more traditional media as well as emerging and more established artists.

With a multifaceted program that includes smaller-scale installations, site-specific projects, larger exhibitions, and multimedia and audiovisual events, Soo caters to the discerning audience base of Tehran’s vibrant art scene. Established in 2017 by director Shirin Gharavisky, after two years of working at an interim space in the northern neighborhoods of …
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