Art
Requiem for Javad
Acrylic on canvas panel, 20x24
2020
Ramin’s artistic background is in Persian calligraphy which he learned from his father and Mr Reza Beyt-Anab in southern Iran in the 80s. Recently he’s been exploring calligraphy as abstract art, producing paintings that blur the boundaries between abstraction and conventional representation of text in Persian. Ramin’s other artistic endeavors include photography, film, sculpture, music, poetry, and fiction. Ramin received an MFA in Art from the School of Art and Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Website: www.ramintakloostudio.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ramintakloo
The humble discoverers of hemlock (after a poem A. Shamlu)
Acrylic on canvas panel, 20x24
2020
The ghost of Woodman
Digital photo
2020
Education:
· MFA in Art, University of Illinois at Chicago, May 2023.
Advisor: Beate Geissler
Shows:
· MFA thesis show, Gallery 400, UIC, March 2023.
· Group show at Agitator to celebrate the re-opening of the space, September 2022.
· Together Again, Pop-up group show, Agitator, May 2022.
· Human Rights Event, by CIRCA Pintig, Chicago, IL, December 2021.
· Collaboration with Ashley Dequilla on EL SUENYO AMERIKANO, Intersect Gallery at Mana Contemporary, Chicago, IL, November 2021.
· And Then: Stories of What Happens Next, Group Show, The Agitator Gallery, Chicago, October 2020. You can preview and order the book based on this show here.
· Virtual Fundraiser to benefit The Coalition for the Homeless, Chicago, September 2020. · The Art of Teaching, Group Show, The Icehouse Gallery, Evanston, January 2020 .
· Captured, Sculpted, Written, Solo Pop-up Show, The Agitator Gallery, October 2019.
· Aerograd, Multimedia Performance with Da Niche, Maria Dimanshtein, and Galina Shevchenko, The Icehouse Gallery, October 2019.
· The Evanston-made Group Show, The Evanston Art Center, April 2019.
· The Brothers K Coffee House, Evanston, February 2019.
· The Brothers K Coffee House, Evanston, April 2018.
Publications:
· There was once a guy, a novel. MFA thesis, University of Illinois at Chicago, May 2023.
· And Then: Stories of What Happens Next, contributing artist, ed. Gretchen Hasse, published by the Agitator Gallery, October 2020.
· Laughing in the Burning House, Poems by Shahram Sheydayi, translated to English by Amy Grupp and Ramin Takloo-Bighash, Kalagh-e Sefid, Tehran, December 2017.
Presentations:
· Trauma in Contemporary Persian Literature, Didaar Art Collective, Virtual Event, Chicago, December 2020.
· There was once a guy: A novel, Didaar Art Collective, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, September 2019.
· The Poetry of Shahram Sheydayi, The Persian Circle, University of Chicago, April 2012.
Service:
· Executive Board, The Musical Offering, Evanston, IL, since 2019.
· Vice President and Director of Cultural Programs, The Iranian-American Cultural Society of Maryland, 2003-2007.
· Co-organizer, The Tea Party, A Monthly Lecture Event, Baltimore, IL 2003-2007.
Teaching:
· Contemporary Iranian Poetry (Post WWII), Advanced Undergraduate Course, Dept of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University, Spring 2007.
Links:
Evanston-made Artist Profile: This is my artist profile on the website of Evanston-made, a non-profit artist group based in Evanston, IL.
Instagram: A link to my Instagram feed where I usually post photos of my newest works.
Shalizar Ensemble: I have been a member of Shalizar as a vocalist and percussionist for the past 5 years. Shalizar performs music from Iran, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Azarbaijan, and Central Asia.
The Middle-East Music Ensemble: MEME is a joint project of the Oriental Institute and the Dept of Music at the University of Chicago. I have been performing with MEME as a percussionist since 2008.
Didaar Art Collective: An Iranian artist group based in Chicago of which I have been a member for the past two years.