Faranak Siami (born in Tehran, Iran in 1960) is an artist. She grew up travelling from place to place in Iran due to her family's occupation. The affect for these movings of making her familiar with different cultures of different provinces all around Iran. From childhood, she always had a passion for painting and drawing. She graduated with a BSc in Interior Architect, from Al Zahra University, (Tehran, Iran).

Faranak met with Mr. Aydin Aghdashloo, a very well known Iranian painter, author, art critic, art historian and graphic designer, during her study years in Al Zahra University. That was when she decided to pursue her passion for painting alongside with her love for architecture. She recieved intensive teachings in Arts, History of Art, Painting with various media, drawing, general knowledge, and literature from Mr. Aydin Aghdashloo.

Faranak married in 1980 in Iran. She has two children from her marriage. She continued studying Arts, and painting with Mr. Aghdashloo as well as studying at the university until she graduated. Faranak moved to Sweden in 1987 for 2 years, where she she studied Swedish language, and literatue. She moved to and from between Iran, Sweden and Canada (Vancouver B.C. and Toronto, Ontario) for 7 times within 5 years until she finally established her permanent life in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

During the 2 years life in Vancouver B.C. she studied, Building Technology, Design option, in BCIT, before she moves back to Sweden and continue her studies Swedish. She started a desktop publishing and Design business in Toronto in year 1994. Her activities, were not limited and had a vast variety of art related productions, including paintings, portraits, art gallery reproduction orders, photo restoration, architectural design, graphic design, desktop publishing, website design, etc.

After becoming a single mother in year 1995, and a car accident in October 1999, Faranak and her children endured severe hardship until 2004. She had to work 3 jobs at once to support her children, while she was trying to study in college to prepare herself for the Architectural qualification exam in Ontario. Even though she has recorded work from her paintings and artworks from every stage of her life, her works from this period are limited to a number of dark and small size paintings proving the hardship she was facing at the time.

Faranak has had a few solo exhibitions in Sweden, Vancouver, Toronto and Iran. She attended a joint venture and charity exhibition in Toronto as well. Faranak is a true believer of humanity. Almost all her exhibitions were based on charity as she has contributed the profits to Red Cross, Children Foundations, Missing Children Funds, and Homeless support organizations. She has sold many paintings. Two of her paintings were purchased for display by Alströmer Högskola ‎in Alingsås, Sweden. These two paintings were in honour of two great men in Swedish history. Faranak speaks 4 languages and travelled extensively. Her interest in humanity, animals, nature, and spirituality, her sensitivity to injustice, along with her talent for writing have all contributed in her works. Sophistication and a cosmopolitan dimension in her works are the result of her colourful life from childhood till her present days, as she has been moving around extensively, living among variety of people with various cultures, within her homeland to overseas in the western world. She does not bound herself in using and following limited media and technics. As per her own claim, "She follows her heart affected by the reality when she creates an artwork!"

Faranak is currently living in Toronto, Ontario, trying to cope with her new lifestyle she has established after the stormy years of her life caused by the car accident in October 1999. She is in the proccess of writing her 2nd book, covering her life, her works, and her message to humanity, specially those whose lives are affected by hardship of any kind. The She published her first book on year 2002, which was a collection of short quotes and series of drawings and paintings.

She is also preparing for a major solo Exhibition for which she is planning to make a major contribution to Missing Children Organization in North America.

References

edit
edit