Omid Kheirabdi (born 1992 in Tehran) is a visual artist and performer based in Rotterdam. He decodes late-capitalist societal relationships to comprehend their oppressive mechanisms and their effects on individuals. His works revolve around questions of power, global disparities in economics and legal status, Western (European) hegemony, and labor, with the aim of challenging prevailing narratives. Omid has exhibited his work in group and solo exhibitions across multiple locations, including Amsterdam, The Hague, Leuven, Belfast, Rotterdam, and Maastricht. His artistic inspiration stems from his life experiences and political motivations. He has participated in the Research Academy program "Performative Interventions" in ZHDK in Zurich, where he explored the correlations between resistance against global capitalism's oppression and performance art and its impact on performers.
Omid believes in the power of art to provoke dialogue. He is dedicated to creating spaces that encourage us to question the systems that shape our lives, fostering the exploration of new possibilities for coexistence. He utilizes multimedia installations, prints, and performance art to convey his message. Omid obtained an MFA in Artistic Research from the Royal Academy of Art (The Hague) in 2022 and an MA in Interior Architecture from the Maastricht Academy of Architecture in 2019.
He is currently an artist in residence at Chateau Mercier in Switzerland until 15th of March 2024.
Performances
April 2023
“Inburgered”, Motel Mozaïque Festival (MOMO) 2023 — Rotterdam (NL)
“Inburgered”, Poortgebouw event nights — Rotterdam (NL)
Performed twice with Davide Ghelli Santuliana (synthesizer)
July 2022
"alive & unborn", in collaboration with Daphnis Monastirioti, and Siamak Misheni
Royal Academy of Art (KABK), The Hague (Netherlands)
April 2022
"One day is too short, three days are too long!”, part of “A scenic route to self”
The Nest, The Hague (Netherlands)
March 2022
September 2021
KFC or Revolution?”, Solo Performance
W139, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
The Poss!ble”, in collaboration with Rosa van Walbeek
Page Not Found, The Hague (Netherlands)
March 2021
Selling Art”, and "Eating Art", part of “Sun Kissed / Fog Off” in collaboration with Daphnis Monastirioti, Hugo Leos, Lena Longefay, and Xenia Klein
Quartair art space, The Hague (Netherlands)
May 2020
“Spend the Night with Me”, in collaboration with a stranger
Airbnb at Adamshofstraat 152A, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
June 2023
“alive & unborn”, Delft Fring Festvial — Delft (NL)
Performed eight times during with Isha van der Burg, Valerio Conti (singer/performer) and Siamak Misheni (live music - Setar), Radius Watertower, Royal Delft Museum, Sigarenfabriek
July 2023
“Visa Reveal Party”, Roodkapje — Rotterdam (NL)
Performance in collaboration with Maja Simisic and Hamburger community artists
Workshops, lectures
June 2023
January 2023
January 2023
October 2022
August 2022
“DOING GOOD: HERE TO SAVE THE DAY?” TU Delft Studium Generale — Delft (NL) In conversation with sociologist Yvonne Van Der Pol during Fringe Festival 2023
September 2023
Exhibitions
May - June 2022
"Nomad House"— A part of the collective exhibition 'living on the rooftop' in collaboration with 'Dakdorpen' as part of Daken Dagen festival 2022.
The Rooftop Walk, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
May 2021
March 2021
October 2019
October 2018
“YOU ONLY EXIST ON PAPER” — part of the “In Pending Waters"
De Helena, The Hague (Netherlands)
“Sun Kissed / Fog Off”, Group Exhibition
Quartair art space, The Hague (Netherlands)
“A TOUGH SOLDIER”, Solo Exhibition
EINSI, Maastricht (Netherlands)
“Learning from the models”, Group Exhibition
Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts, Maastricht (Netherlands)
Residencies
August 2022
March 2021
ECRN rooftop residency
USI, Belfast (Northern Ireland)
The office for precarious Art, Lena Longefay, "Sun Kissed / Fog Off”
Quartair Contemporary Art Initiatives, The Hague (Netherlands)
December 2023
September 2023
“Goethe Investigating” four months artist residency program
Goethe Institute — Rotterdam (NL)
March 2024
Februray 2024
Artist Residency Fondation du Château Mercier
six-week artist residency in Sierre, Switzerland
Grants
July 2023
Mondriaan Fonds Artist Start
one-year grant for artistic development
March 2023
CBK Rotterdam research and development grant (O&O)
“Happening to one another” six months project
November 2019
Master Thesis Awards 'Scriptiekunst' for “Imaging the Space”
Faculty of Arts thesis awards, Zuyd Hogeschool, Maastricht (Netherlands)
September 2017
Excellence scholarship, Zuyd Hogeschool, the Master of Arts in Interior Architecture
Maastricht Academy of Architecture, Maastricht (Netherlands)
September 2013
Full scholarship, Iranian Ministry of Education for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture
SRTTU, Tehran (Iran)
Publications
September 2022
"I can smell Your house on Your hat", The graduation publication of Master Artistic Research students
Page Not Found, The Hague (Netherlands)
April 2022
Performing The Art Of Intolerance, The Master Thesis of Artistic Research, participated in Libros Mutantes 2022 book fair in Madrid
The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK)
September 2021
Key Words 2021, Key Words is a yearly publication written, edited, and designed by first-year students of The Master Artistic Research at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK)
Page Not Found, The Hague (Netherlands)
June 2021
Imaging the Space, Master thesis in Interior Architecture
Page Not Found, The Hague (Netherlands)