Amir H. Fallah

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Born 1979 in Tehran, Iran. Lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Amir H. Fallah’s work across painting, installation, drawing and sculpture investigates the complexities of belonging and otherness in the very place one calls home. The artist paints his subjects’ bodies surrounded by their possessions and domestic environments, while disguising their skin colors and features. Fallah’s work is of analogously global ancestry, influenced by the pattern and detail of Persian miniatures, the portrayals of class and domestic life of 17th century Dutch Art, and the brashness and saturation of American visual culture.

Amir H. Fallah received his BFA in Fine Art & Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art and his MFA in painting at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions across the United States and abroad. Selected solo exhibitions include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson; South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings SD; Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland OR; San Diego ICA; and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland KS.

In 2009, the artist was chosen to participate in the 9th Sharjah Biennial. In 2015, Fallah received the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant. In 2019, Fallah’s painting Calling On The Past received the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago. In 2020, Fallah was awarded the COLA Individual Artist Fellowship and the Artadia grant. In addition, the artist had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson, accompanied by a catalogue, and a year-long installation at the ICA San Jose.

Fallah has been featured or reviewed in The New York Times, Artforum, ARTnews, GQ, The Art Newspaper, Whitewall, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, Hyperallergic, Los Angeles Times, Apollo Magazine, and The Guardian.

The artist is in the permanent collection of the de Young Museum, San Francisco, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Miami; Deste Foundation For Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece; Xiao Museum Of Contemporary Art, Rizhao, China; McEvoy Foundation For The Arts, San Francisco; Nerman Museum, Kansas City; SMART Museum of Art at the University of Chicago; Davis Museum, Massachusetts; The Microsoft Collection, Washington; Plattsburg State Art Museum, NY; Cerritos College Public Art Collection, CA; Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture, CA; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama and Salsali Private Museum, Dubai, UAE.


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Catalogs

Amir H. Fallah: Scatter My Ashes On Foreign Lands
Purchase  | 
Amir H. Fallah: The Fallacy of Borders
The Fowler Museum
01.29.2023 - 05.14.2023
An Anthem for Uncertain Times
CICA Vancouver
06.30.2022 - 08.28.2022
Foresight Prevents Blindness
FNAR Gallery, University of Arkansas
01.20.2022 - 02.27.2022
Intervention: Fresh Perspectives after 50 Years
USC Pacific Asia Museum
11.12.2021 - 02.06.2022
Scatter My Ashes on Foreign Lands
Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson
01.11.2020 - 05.03.2020
Unknown Voyage
The Schneider Museum of Art
06.14.2017 - 09.09.2017
The Caretaker
The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
05.28.2015 - 09.27.2015
March 24, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah interviewed by the New York Times

Mr. Fallah spoke about the Hong Kong work, his life and trajectory, and the uprising in Iran.


March 24, 2023 Art Fairs, Artists, Press

The Best Booths at Art Basel Hong Kong, Where Poignant Artworks Explore Various Crises

Amir H. Fallah shows his capacity to command a space visually at Art Basel Hong Kong.

Read on ARTnews.

March 24, 2023 Art Fairs, Artists, Press

Katie Alice Fitz Gerald interviewed by Financial Times

Hong Kong galleries thrive despite lockdowns and crackdowns.


February 28, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah: The Fallacy of Borders at the Fowler

In Amir H. Fallah’s first museum exhibition in Los Angeles, expect to get caught up in the artist’s maximalist paintings and stained glass works.


February 18, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah: “The Fallacy of Borders” Highlights Iranian-American Experiences at Fowler Museum

The Fowler Museum at UCLA is displaying “The Fallacy of Borders” by Amir H. Fallah, an Iranian-born artist working in Los Angeles.

Read on Daily Bruin.

February 15, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

The Best Shows to See in Los Angeles during Frieze

Amir H. Fallah turns western portraiture on its head in his first solo Los Angeles museum exhibition.

Read on Frieze.

February 14, 2023 Art Fairs, Artists, Events, Press

Art Basel Hong Kong 2023: Tatler’s guide to the artists and works to look out for

Amir H. Fallah’s subjects are often veiled, their identity revealed through heavy iconography that the artist draws from multiple visual sources.

Read on Tatler.

February 14, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah interviewed by the Art Newspaper


February 13, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Eight must-see exhibitions to see during Frieze Los Angeles

Los-Angeles based artist Amir H. Fallah has always taken the “more-is-more” approach to painting.


January 30, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah: The Fallacy of Borders in Hyperallergic

Amir Fallah draws on a rich mixture of sources, from Persian miniatures to children’s books, botanical illustrations, maps, and textile patterns to compose his vibrant, maximalist paintings.


January 25, 2023 Artists, Press, Press Releases

Amir H. Fallah: The Fallacy of Borders at Fowler Museum

Amir H. Fallah working fluidly across genres and media, he contends with themes of inheritance and appropriation, personhood and objecthood, diaspora and homeland, challenging us to question and transcend boundaries and borders that separate people, cultures, geographies, and art practices.


January 13, 2023 Artists, Press

Amir H. Fallah Shining A Spotlight On Women’s Rights Protestors In Iran

L.A.-based Iranian American artist Amir H. Fallah (b. 1979) will be using an image of a woman’s face inside of a sun–a visual once seen on the Iranian flag–as the centerpiece of an art project he intends to keep the ongoing humanitarian crisis there in the consciousness of Americans.

Read on Forbes.

January 13, 2023 Artists, Press

Amir H. Fallah in Forbes

Artist Amir H. Fallah (b. 1979) will be using an image of a woman’s face inside of a sun–a visual once seen on the Iranian flag–as the centerpiece of an art project he intends to keep the ongoing humanitarian crisis there in the consciousness of Americans.

Read on Forbes.

January 12, 2023 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah: The Fallacy of Borders at the Fowler Museum

Amir H. Fallah investigates persistent questions of identity, intimacy, biography, knowledge, duty of care, diaspora, and legacy.

Read on LA WEEKLY.

October 21, 2022 Press

Amir H. Fallah in The Los Angeles Times Image

Amir H. Fallah is a Los Angeles-based artist working in a range of media, including painting, sculpture and public installation.


October 21, 2022 Events

Amir H. Fallah in Tina Knowles Lawson’s Collection

Tina Knowles Lawson Builds a Collection and a Foundation to Support Black Art


May 31, 2022 Events

Amir H. Fallah in “What’s Showing in Hong Kong” by Art Asia Pacific

Galleries in Wong Chuk Hang and the greater Southside district continue to mount some of the city’s most interesting exhibitions, from both international and local artists.


May 24, 2022 Events

“Joy As An Act Of Resistance” on RTHK’ s The Works

RTHK’ s The Works focuses on Hong Kong’s arts and cultural scene.

Read on The Works.

May 18, 2022 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah on ArtTactic

Amir H. Fallah joins advisor Adam Green on the ArtTactic podcast to discuss the value of long-term relationships and patience in navigating the art world.

Read on ArtTactic.

April 12, 2022 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah in Tatler

Revenge shopping and navigating a third-culture identity inform Amir Fallah’s first show in Hong Kong

Read on Tatler.

April 11, 2022 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah in Culture Plus

The artist addresses the psychological fatigue caused by the ongoing pandemic and uses his creativity to engender joy against the waves of pessimism.


March 23, 2022 Artists, Events, Press

Amir H. Fallah in The book “Why I Make Art”

Why I Make Art offers readers an intimate, contemplative view from thirty remarkable creators.


March 22, 2022 Press

Amir H. Fallah in Common Practice: Basketball and Contemporary Art

The first, comprehensive, illustrated publication to explore the relationship between basketball and contemporary art.


March 04, 2022 Events, Press

“Portal To The East” by Amir H. Fallah Acquired by the Birmingham Museum of Art

“Portal To The East” by Amir H. Fallah has joined the permanent collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art as a gift of Jack and Rebecca Drake.


December 23, 2021 Press

“Fringe” in The New Yorker Year End Review

As the city reopened, the art world saw legacy-changing donations for the Met and the Brooklyn Museum, and a seismic shift in Tribeca’s gallery scene.


October 06, 2021 Press

Amir H. Fallah featured in Whitewall’s Fall Issue

Coordinated by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and installed at the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health Services is Amir H. Fallah’s stained glass installation in collaboration with Judson Studios.

Read on Whitewall .

July 24, 2021 Press

‘Universe,’ Amir H. Fallah’s three-panel mural for the Cerritos College Student Center

Amir H. Fallah commissioned by Cerritos College for three large scale murals on campus.


March 03, 2021 Press

Amir Fallah Review in ArtAsiaPacific

Best known for his unique approach to portraiture, Amir H. Fallah has made a name for himself not by painting incredible likenesses of people but by revealing who they are through the objects that they possess.


February 23, 2021 Press

“Amir H. Fallah Paints a Roadmap for His Son” in WhiteWall

The new paintings imagined as a how-to manual for Fallah’s son, featuring icons, imagery, and references to the culture that forms us—from advertising and pop culture to the books we read as children.

Read on WhiteWall.

January 27, 2021 Press

Amir H. Fallah: Better a Cruel Truth Than a Comfortable Delusion reviewed in The Art Newspaper

Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend: From Albers and Morandi at David Zwirner to Amir H. Fallah at Denny Dimin.


January 26, 2021 Press

Amir H. Fallah “Better a Cruel Truth Than a Comfortable Delusion” Editors’ Picks

Editors’ Picks: 18 Events for Your Art Calendar This Week, From a Chat With the Guerrilla Girls to the Music That Inspired Basquiat

Read on Artnet.

January 15, 2021 Press

Amir H. Fallah: Better a Cruel Truth Than a Comfortable Delusion featured in Forbes

Amir H. Fallah, Painting For An Audience Of One With Lessons For A Lifetime

Read on Forbes.

January 14, 2021 Events

In Conversation: Artist Amir H. Fallah and Collector Liz Dimmitt

Join Artist Amir H. Fallah and Collector Liz Dimmitt on Zoom Thursday, January 28th at 7pm EST.  Watch the recording.


January 08, 2021 Events

Zoom Opening Reception for Amir H. Fallah

Join us Friday, January 8, 4 to 6 PM ET on Zoom.


October 31, 2020 Events

VOTE! Amir H. Fallah asks you to vote at the ICA San José

The ICA San José presents The Façade Project with a major mural commission from Amir H. Fallah and opens its doors to become an Official Vote Center for November 2020 election.


September 23, 2020 Press

Amir H. Fallah in The New York Times

In California, the Institute of Contemporary Art San José will open for voting, with a mural by Amir H. Fallah on display.

Read on The New York Times.


June 24, 2020 Press

Amir H. Fallah 2020 COLA Fellow

Congratulations to Amir H. Fallah for being selected as a 2020 City of Los Angeles (COLA) Individual Artist Fellowship awardee.

The Fellows were selected by a panel comprising curators, educators, museum directors and past COLA Fellows. The fellowship provides each artist with $10,000 to produce a new body of work, which will be premiered at the COLA 2020 exhibition.


October 01, 2018 Artists

Amir H. Fallah Awarded Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago

Amir H. Fallah’s was awarded the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago, where he was exhibiting with Shulamit Nazarian Gallery, on September 28, 2018. A long-time supporter of arts and culture and presenting sponsor of EXPO CHICAGO, Northern Trust will donated one work of art (Calling on the Past by Amir H. Fallah) to the Smart’s permanent collection. The Smart will select the piece from the exposition’s EXPOSURE section, curated by Justine Ludwig (Executive Director, Creative Time) and featuring solo and two-artist presentations represented by galleries eight years and younger.


June 30, 2018 Outside Exhibitions

Amir H. Fallah Exhibiting at MOCA Tucson

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (MOCA Tucson) is pleased to present Blessed Be: Mysticism, Spirituality, and the Occult in Contemporary Art, a curated exhibition by Ginger Shulick Porcella exploring religion, ritual, cult mentality, and the human impulse to belong and participate, as viewed through the lens of cultural production.

Read on MOCA Tucson.

April 27, 2018 Events

Amir H. Fallah in The Art Newspaper

Trump’s travel ban: artists and museums speak out against third iteration.


September 15, 2017 Press Releases

Amir H. Fallah now represented by Denny Gallery

Amir H. Fallah was born in 1979 in Tehran, Iran, and lives in Los Angeles. His body of work includes painting, installation, drawing and sculpture. He is best known for unconventional portraits of people he encounters (or seeks out), which explore identity and personal narrative through his subjects’ interactions with objects.


In Conversation
Artist Amir H. Fallah and Collector Liz Dimmitt
January 28, 2021
Amir H. Fallah
3min Studio Visit
2020
Amir H. Fallah
COLA Individual Artist Fellowship
2020

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