Marzia Farhana
Richmond, VA
farhanam@vcu.edu| https://farhanamarzia.wixsite.com/marziafarhana-2014
EDUCATION
In Progress Ph.D. at Virginia Commonwealth University
2014 M.A. Fine Art (Equivalent to MFA, USA)
University of the Arts London
Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design
Graduated with merit
2010 B.F.A. Fine Arts, honors
University of Dhaka, Faculty of Fine Arts
Graduated with First Class, 2nd position
WORK EXPERIENCES
Researcher at Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium MERC: 2023-2024
(MERC leads research that addresses enduring and emerging issues in PK12 education in Virginia, USA, to inform policy, build key stakeholders, professional knowledge, and skills, contribute to the body of scholarly knowledge, and ultimately impact outcomes relevant to students, schools, and communities.)
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Graduate Assistant (2023-2024): Early Childhood Education supervised by Dr. Yi Wen Wei 2023 and Dr. Lillian Lewis, Virginia Commonwealth University
Teaching: Instructor, Art classes for K- 6, Francis and Mary Youth Centre, Virginia Commonwealth University
Teaching Assistant: (2021-2023) Art Education Elementary Materials & Practicum (ARTE 401) with Dr. Yi Wen Wei 2023 and Dr. Lillian Lewis, Virginia Commonwealth University
Visiting Artist Lecture: ARTE 401 course at VCU (2021), Richmond, USA, and
SAF Around the World (2020), organized by Samdani Art Foundation
Lecturer: (2016) Instructor, Daffodil International University, Multimedia Department, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Visiting artist lecture: Fourth Visiting Artist Around the Table organized by Samdani Art Foundation
Administrative: Director (2022): Creative Arts Day Camp, Department of Art Education, School of Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University
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Research Associate: (2017-2019) Bengal Arts Programme, Digital Archive, Bengal Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Elementary Art Teacher (2005-10): Nandan Art Academy, Shakyamuni Buddha Vihara Complex, Dhaka, Bangladesh
GRANT AND FELLOWSHIP
VCUarts Dean’s Scholarship 2023
Merit scholarship 2022, 2023, Department of Art Education, VCU
VCUarts Travel grant, Spring 2023, VCU
Graduate Travel grant-Spring 2022 & 2023, VCU
AWARD
Award for Innovation in Fine Art by Daniel Ford International, 2014, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, University of the Arts London (UAL), UK
16th International Youth Visual Art Award: Top artist in the 16th International Youth Visual Art Festival in the field of Painting, by Islamic culture and art, Islamic Republic of Iran, 2010
Aminul Islam Drawing Prize: Artist Aminul Islam Trust award for excellence in drawing, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2006, 2008
RESIDENCY AWARD
2024: Researcher artist in residence at Middle of Broad (MoB), Richmond, Virginia
2018: Delfina Art Foundation, Summer Residency, London, UK
2017: Khoj International Art Association Residency, Corjuem, Goa, India.
2010: 16th International Festival, Islamic Republic of Iran, Gorgun, Iran.
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
PUBLICATION
2023: MERC Research: Adolescent THC Usage in Virginia: Post-Legalization Challenges and 2023: Strategies for Schools at MERC (Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium)
2017: The book titled 'Monir,' Co-editor and writer
CONFERENCE
2024: Presenter at National Art Education Association(NAEA), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
2022: Curriculum slum, Virginia Art Education Association (VAEA) annual conference, 2022, Richmond, Virginia, USA
Symposium
2014 “Between the Acts” Symposium, The Swedenborg Society, London, UK
PANEL DISCUSSION
2023
Very Small Feelings, Dhaka Art Summit 2023, Shilpakala Auditorium, Dhaka. This panel combines artistic practices at the intersection of community engagement and experimental pedagogy, creatively filling in for the infrastructural, social, and ecological gaps that alienate many communities and groups from access to education and learning. Panelists will address the role and power of facilitation and the economy of sources and resources in spaces/contexts of abundance and scarcity.
INTERVIEWS
Video series 100 yrs of Joseph Beuys #aboutbeuys by the Goethe-Institut, artists deal with the heritage of Joseph Beuys. Videoreihe zu Joseph Beuys-Marzia Farhana
Podcast
Monologues: Marzia Farhana: Safina Radio Project
Conversation with Aaron Cazer and Marzia Farhana: Safina Radio Project:
Nada Raza, in conversation with Iftikhar Dadi, Zihan Karim, and Marzia Farhana
EXHIBITION
2023
Dhaka Art Summit, Bonna, Shilpokola Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Very Small Feelings, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Delhi, India
Contours Practices from Beyond the Border, Akar Prakar, New Delhi, India
2022 Art LED, Cabal Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
2021
Undefined Territory, Bangladesh Art Week, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
Chobi Mela, Pathshala South Asian Institute of Photography, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2020
Dhaka Art Summit: Seismic Movements, Social Movements, and Feminist Future, curated by Diana Campbell Betancourt, Shilpokola Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh
India Art Fair, Akar Prakar Gallery, India
​2019 (Un) seen, Bengal Shilpalaya, Dhaka, Bangladesh
​2018
Kochi Muziris Biennale: Possibilities for a Non-alienated Life, curated by Anita Dube, Kerala, India
Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona(MACBA), Barcelona, Spain: In the Open or Stealth, curated by RAQS Media Collective
A Finger on the Pulse, Akar Prakar Gallery, New Delhi, India
Dhaka Art Summit 2018: Samdani Art Award, curated by Simon Castets, Shilpokola Academy, Dhaka
Subtext, Bengal Arts Programme, Dhaka
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2017
Entangled Reality, LLLLLL Gallery, Vienna, Austria
Tasher Desh, Dewanbag Commercial Building, Arambag, Dhaka
Upheavals, Kathmandu Triennale, Park Gallery, Nepal
Open Studio Exhibition, Khoj International Workshop and Residency, Goa, India
2016
‘The Missing One,’ Office of Contemporary Art, Oslo, Norway & Dhaka Art Summit 2016, Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, curated by Nada Raza
‘You Cannot Cross the Sea Marely by Staring at the Waves,’ Krinzinger Projekte, Vienna, Austria, curated by Diana Campbell Betancourt
Group Exhibition, Amateur Gallery, Mumbai, India
Self Identity, National Museum of Bangladesh, Dhaka
2014
Stop it, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, London, UK
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2013
Group exhibition “In Transit” // V22, London, UK
Group exhibition “Postgraduate Art Auction 2013”// Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins, London, UK
2012
Only God Can Judge Me (OGCM), 2012// Circo soap and chemical Ind. Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2011
Udito Desher Dukkho, Country of Rising Sadness //an exhibition for the occasional visit of Tate Modern Gallery in Bangladesh// Dhaka Art Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Group Exhibition “Young Dhaka”// Curate by Artist and Curator Rafiqul Shuvo, Zainul Gallery, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Open Studio Exhibition// exchange program between Faculty of Fine Art, Dhaka University, Dhaka, and Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London.
2010
Group exhibition //16th International Festival of visual arts for Young Artists//Organized by Islamic Republic of Iran, Gorgun, Iran.
15th Berger Young Painters Art Competition Exhibition. Dhaka, Bangladesh
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2009
Annual Exhibition of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
2008
Group Exhibition//Transformer: (Extraordinary Worlds from Everyday Materials// Installation Art Exhibition, Bengal Gallery of Fine Art, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Right to Health Exhibition, Painting Competition, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Watercolor Exhibition is after a three-day workshop with Thailand’s well-known artist, Dr. Suchart Vongthong. Organized by the Royal Thai Embassy, Dhaka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Drick Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Annual Exhibition of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
​2007
Annual Exhibition of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
2006
REMBRANDT 400 – Painting Exhibition.Dhaka, Bangladesh
Annual Exhibition of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
​2005 to 2003
Annual Exhibition of Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
JURY MEMBER
2024: (Upcoming)National Art Honor Society (NAHS) and National Junior Art Honor Society (NJAHS) programs juried exhibition at National Art Education Association(NAEA), Minneapolis, MN, USA
PUBLISHED MATERIALS AND MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS ON MARZIA FARHANA
The New York Times
Blog: https://magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.com/2018/12/kochi-muziris-biennale-2018-ecocideand.html
CWS Artist focus: https://cwsviral.com/three-artists-takes-on-dhakas-rapidly-evolving-precarious-arts-scene/
CNBC TV18 News https://www.cnbctv18.com/buzz/in-the-spirit-of-survival-1705631.htm
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Goethe-Institut, Berlin, Germany: The artist Marzia Farhana from Bangladesh tells how she implements Joseph Beuys' 'Expanded Concept of Art' in her projects. Learn more:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUOUUjGuN8o&t=4s
Goethe-Institut GLA (Glasgow, UK):
https://twitter.com/GI_Glasgow/status/1382690727306657799
Frieze Magazine, UK
How Do We Look Backward to Move Forward? Notes from the 2020 Dhaka Art Summit https://frieze.com/article/how-do-we-look-backward-move-forward-notes-2020-dhaka-art-sum-
mit?fbclid=IwAR3ZXFU6ByNoBRJBI5Dg9y1q3o_VwSU0I7BMMTNsipQuAXt1Hwu9Tb-
Gulf-Photo Plus: Undefined Territory-Dubai: https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2018/Dec/08/down-the-home-stretch-1908602.html
Art Agenda
Highlights Marzia Farhana’s work Ecocide and the Rise of Free Fall: https://www.art-agenda.com/features/250382/kochi-muziris-biennale-2018-possibilities-for-a-non-alienated-life
Samdani Art Foundation: Social Movements and Feminist Futures
https://www.samdani.com.bd/projects/social-movements-and-feminist-futures
Samdani Art Foundation: Very Small Feelings: https://www.samdani.com.bd/projects/very-small-feelings-
News Xpress India
Bangladeshi Marzia Farhana’s Biennale Work Talks About Ecological Catastrophe:
http://www.newsexperts.in/bangladeshi-marzia-farhanas-biennale-work-talks-ecological-catastrophe/
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Indian Womens Blog
Artist Marzia Farhana On Capturing The Human Condition & Challenging Hierarchies Through Her Artwork: http://www.indianwomenblog.org/artist-marzia-farhana-oncapturing-the-human-condition-challenging-hierarchies-through-her-artwork/
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The Times of India highlights Marzia’s work
The Telegraph
How knowledge is used to destroy the environment in a capitalist society https:// www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/how-knowledge-is-used-to-destroy-the-environment-in-a-capitalist-society/cid/1684798
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The Hindu Highlight-Equilibrium Project 2018 https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/what-war-warrants-for-bangladeshi-artists/article26001856.ece
The Sunday Guardian: https://sundayguardianlive.com/culture/cultural-portrait-bangladesh-seen-eyes-contemporary-artists
Stir magazine feature
https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-un-silenced-at-the-kochi-biennale-part-ii#
​More: https://www.picuki.com/tag/marziafarhana
​Review: https://arterritory.com/en/visual_arts/reviews/23515-a_biennial_with_a_voice/
Art in Focus: https://www.artfromus.in/artwork-in-focus-marzia-farhana-ecocide-and-the-rise-of-free-fall/
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Indian Express
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Dhaka Tribune news
The New Indian Express https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2018/Dec/08/down-the-home-stretch-1908602.html
Bugri Foundation, India
Bugri Foundation highlights Marzia Farhana’s workat Kochi Biennale
Work highlighted in published book:
MACBA. (2018, October 31). Publication - Upon the fabricatory “In the Open or In Stealth” | MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona. Www.macba.cat. https://www.macba.cat/en/learn-explore/publications/upon-fabricatory-open-or-stealth
E L A N I E P O C O C K, M. (2019). Possibilities For a Non-Alienated Biennale: Experiences of Conditions of Production in The Kochi-Muziris and Singapore Biennales.
Iain Chambers, Alessandra De Angelis, Ianniciello, C., Mariangela Orabona, Iain Chambers, Alessandra De Angelis, Ianniciello, C., Mariangela Orabona, & Quadraro, M. (2016). The Postcolonial Museum The Arts of Memory and the Pressures of History. Routledge.
Kadambari Baxi, “Notes on Kochi (Biennale) and Katowice (Climate Summit),” in the Avery Review 38 (March 2019), https://www.averyreview.com/ issues/38/notes-on-kochi-katowice.
COLLECTIONS
Samdani Art Foundation
Akar Prakar Gallery
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION
2023- Present International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI)
2022- Present American Educational Research Association (AERA)
2022- Present National Art Education Association (NAEA)
2022- Present Virginia Art Education Association (VAEA)
2010 - present
2010 - present
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