About Me

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I paint what I can’t say out loud.
This is where I share the ideas and craft behind my paintings.

Hanie Soltani

(b. 1992) is a Tehran-based versatile figurative painter who lives and works in Tehran. Soltani’s work delves into the complex narratives of identity, memory, and the human condition, often through a deeply personal lens. Her paintings explore the intersections of contemporary Iranian culture and broader global themes, capturing the nuanced emotional imagery of her subjects.

Soltani’s visual language is rooted in the tradition of Iranian painting, yet her approach is distinctly modern. Drawing inspiration from Persian painting colors and the Western history of painting, her works often feature dreamlike compositions where fragmented figures and environments merge. Soltani creates spaces that oscillate between the real and the imagined, challenging conventional perceptions of reality. Her use of rich color palettes, intricate patterns, and layered textures evokes a sense of history while addressing contemporary social and political issues. Female figures often occupy the central focus of her paintings, symbolizing both resilience and vulnerability amidst the backdrop of cultural and societal constraints.

Hanie Soltani earned her MFA in Painting from the University of Tehran. She has participated in numerous exhibitions across Iran and internationally. Her work has been included in group exhibitions and has garnered attention for its evocative storytelling and technical prowess. She has been recognized with awards from the Royal Society of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries in London and received a prize from Gallery Ramfjord in Oslo. Her work was showcased in the National Portrait Gallery’s Portrait Award Exhibition in 2024.

Education

MFA in Painting, faculty of fine arts, University of Tehran
BA in Cell Biology, Guilan University

Exhibitions

  1. Pan Amsterdam artfair, Galerie Mokum, Amsterdam, NL

  2. Group show behind the curtain of resilience, Gallery 45, Cyprus

  3. As women report group show(transpop), Tehran museum of contemporary art, Tehran, Iran

  4. Werkstattwoche group show, Luben, GR

  5. Solo show, The Time After, Bavan Gallery, Tehran, IR

  6. Female Gaze, Galerie Mokum, April 20th, Amsterdam, NL

  7. Worn, ARTchive collab with Assar Gallery, Tehran, IR

  8. Works on Paper, Hampstead art society, London, UK

  9. ARTchive 4th group show, Assar Gallery, collab with ARTchive, Tehran, IR

  10. ROi, Royal Institute of oil painters, Mall Galleries, London, UK

  11. AAF, Affordable Art Fair, Galerie Mokum, Amsterdam, NL

  12. HSF portrait award show, National Portrait Gallery, London

  13. Spring Showcase, Galerie Mokum, NL

  14. KunstRAI, Amsterdam Art Fair for contemporary art, Galerie Mokum, NL

  15. Group Show, Galleri Ramford International, February, Oslo, NO

  16. Grants Exhibition, Galleri Ramfjord, Oslo, NO

  17. Summer show, Galerie Mokum, Amsterdam, NL

  18. KunstRAI, Amsterdam Art Fair for contemporary art, Galerie Mokum, NL

  19. Group show, The Female Gaze, Galerie Mokum, Amsterdam, NL

  20. Group show, An image of us, Soulé, Inja Gallery, Tehran, IR

  21. Award Winning Artists of 2020-2022 exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK

  22. Royal Institute of oil painters, Mall Galleries, London, UK

  23. Royal Society of portrait painters, Mall Galleries, London, UK

  24. New English Art Club annual exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK

  25. Solo show in Untitled space of Bavan, Bavan gallery, Tehran

  26. Portrait 2020, online group exhibition at Menha art gallery with local partner art galleries, Tehran

  27. Selected in annual Versus art contest in Iranian artist forum, Tehran

  28. Selected in 2nd expo in Iranian artist forum, Tehran

  29. Group exhibition in Ariana Gallery, Tehran

  30. Group online show on Arthibition gallery, Tehran

  31. Group online show titled Shabtab 8th in Azad art Gallery, Tehran

  32. Group show titled confrontation in Shamis gallery, Tehran

  33. Group show titles Shabtab 7th in Inja gallery, Tehran

  34. Group exhibition in White Line Gallery, Tehran

  35. Group exhibition in Tehran Gallery, Tehran

  36. Group exhibition titled “14 artists, 14 perspectives” in Tehran Gallery, Tehran

Artist-in-residence

  1. Werkstattwoche artist residency, Luben, Germany

Awards

  1. People’s Choice Award – ARTIT Portrait Artist of the Year

  2. 3rd Place Award, Grants Exhibition, Galleri Ramfjord, Oslo, Norway

  3. Honor of Mention, The de Laszlo Foundation award, Royal society of portrait painters, 2022, Mall Galleries, London

  4. First prize winner of Windsor and Newton, Royal Institute of oil painters 2021, Mall Galleries, London

  5. Semifinalist, Figurativas 2021, Barcelona, Spain

Teaching Experiences

  1. Constructing the figure in space, online gouache workshop, Pennstudioschool, Pennsylvania, US

  2. Teaching Assistant of Zoey Frank, Breaking the surface online workshop, Spring 2023