Iman Tajik

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Iman Tajik is an Iranian-Scottish artist and photographer based in Glasgow, Scotland

Iman Tajik is an Iranian/Scottish multidisciplinary artist and photographer based in Glasgow, Scotland. His work is anchored in a strong social interest and demonstrates an effort to make work that is a critical tool connected to international movements for social change. Tajik’s work addresses issues of contemporary conditions of life with a particular focus on migration and globalisation – thereby bridging the gap between art and activism, to create work as a form of socio-political currency, addressing power structures.

 Tajik practice involves photography, moving images, sculpture, installations and performance. Through these various mediums, he ’performs the border’. This inspires by personal experiences of crossing geographical borders and socio-political barriers to insist on the right to freedom of movement. Tajik spotlights and stresses the need for resistance toward barriers and boundaries that are implemented socially and politically in favour of some but not all. A contribution towards bridging the divide between self and other is paramount to Tajik’s practice.

Iman Tajik founded Who is? Project in collaboration with Jonas Jessen Hansen in 2017. Who Is? Project has been created as a space to open a conversation surrounding the current migrant crisis and the rise of nationalism.

Tajik’s work is held in several public and private collections, including the Fleming Collection and the UK Government Art Collection. His work has been featured in a range of solo and group exhibitions, including In the Land, of the People, presented by Historic Environment Scotland across multiple venues in the UK (2024); Unravelling Times at The Hunterian Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow (2023); Scottish Landscapes: A New Generation at Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh (2023); and The Dreamers at Stills Gallery, Edinburgh (2021). He was awarded the Bordered Miles bursary commission for Glasgow International, Scotland’s Biennial Festival of Visual Art (2021), and in 2019, his project From The Other Side was commissioned by Tate Modern’s Community and Social Team in collaboration with Better Bankside.

He holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art (2014–2018), following an HND in Photography from City of Glasgow College (2013–2014) and an HNC in Photography from Clydebank College (2012–2013). His creative foundations began with an HND in Graphic Design from Azad University in Amol, Iran (2001–2004), after first studying art and design at a technical vocational high school (Fanni Herfeii) in Iran.

SELECTED AWARDS / RESIDENCIES:

2025 - Meet Factory artist-in-residence, Prague, Czech
2024 - Cove Park artist-in-residence, Helensburgh, Scotland
2022 - St James Church artist-in-residence, London, England
2021 - Art Walk Porty Residency, Edinburgh, Scotland
2021 - Glasgow International (GI) Bursary Award 2020, Biennial Visual Arts Festival, Glasgow, Scotland.
2020 - Project 20, Stills, Edinburgh, Scotland
2020 - Deveron Project Residency, Huntly, Scotland
2019 - Hope Scott Trust, Visual Art Fund Award
2018 - Shortlist for Glasgow School of Art Sustainability Prize
2017 - Baillie Gifford Scholarship
2016 - Refugee Festival Scotland Media Awards 2016- Photography
2014 - Refugee Week Scotland Media Awards 2014- Photography
2014 - Embracing Diversity Competition 2014, City of Glasgow College
2014 - The title of ILFORD PHOTO Student Photographer of the Year 2013 – DARKROOM, UK
2013 - UK Student Competition 2013 entitled “Pride & Prejudice”, by HARMAN Technology Ltd
2013 - West College Scotland Photography Prize 2013 (The Best Photographer of the Year) by Calumet
2013 - Scottish Parliament Photography Competition 2013, Scotland
2013 - CBS OUTDOOR photography competition 2013, London, Uk

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:

2024 - Government Art Collection, London, UK
2021 - Town Collection, Deveron Project, Huntly, UK
2020 - Art UK Collection, London, UK
 2019 - Art Collection of University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
2018 - Baillie Gifford, Edinburg, UK
2018 - Fleming Collection (Fleming Wyfold Art Foundation), London, UK
2017 - The Glasgow Museum, Migration Collection, Glasgow, UK

SELECTED EXHIBITION / COMMISSIONS:

2025 - Creatives of Colour Festival 2025, Film Screening + Q&A – Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.
2024 - 'Order the Border', Thinking Culture, Glasgow, Scotland.
2023 - 'Unravelling Times' show at The Hunterian Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland.
2023 - 'Scottish Landscapes: A New Generation' show at Dovecot, Edinburgh, Scotland.
2022 - Embark Festival 2022, St James Church, London, England.
2021 - 'Bordered Miles' bursary commission for Glasgow International, Biennial Visual Art Festival, Glasgow, Scotland. https://glasgowinternational.org.
2021 - 'Welcome to Portobello', performance and public art installation, Commissioned by Art Walk Projects, Portobello, Scotland.
2021 - 'The Dreamers', Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland.
2021 - 'Colouring outside the lines' Curating virtual exhibition, Commissioned by UNESCO CHAIR REFUGEE INTEGRATION THROUGH LANGUAGES AND THE ARTS (RILA)
2020 - "Where the Body Meets the Land", Commissioned by Art Walk Projects, Edinburgh, Scotland.
2020 - “Under One Sky” Global Virtual project, Commissioned by Deveron Projects, Huntly, Scotland.
2020 - “This is Now Not Me”, commissioned by ArtReach for Journeys Festival International, Manchester, England.
2019 - "From The Other Side", curated and Commissioned by Tate Modern's Community and Social Team and Better Bankside.
2019- “Freedom Of Movement”, Commissioned by SRC for Refugee Festival Scotland 2019
2019 - “The personal alongside a world of personals", Art Collection University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland.
2018 - "Fleming50, Radicals, Pioneers and Rebels: Artists from the Fleming Collection” Fine Art Society Gallery, part of Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
2018 - "Crossroads", Who is? Project, posters campaign in Glasgow, Scotland
2018- "Who Are They? Who Are We?", Who is? Project, The Hidden Gardens, Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland
2018 - "Glasgow School of Art, Degree show", Tonti Building, Glasgow, Scotland
2017 - "US+Them", Who is? Project, Isle of Bute, Scotland
2017 - "Who is" Exhibition, 'Who is? Project', at Civic Room, Glasgow, Scotland
2017 - "GSA 3Y FAP" group show, House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, Scotland
2016 - “25% Extra”, Laurieston Arches, Glasgow
2016 - "SYZYGY", GSA Group Show, Glasgow, Scotland
2015 - "Wet Denim Trackie", group show, SWG3, Glasgow
2014 - "Transit Zone" exhibition, Gallery of modern art, Balcony 1 & 2, Glasgow, Scotland
2013 - "End of year show", group show, Glasgow City of College
2013 - "RFS week", The Arches, Glasgow, Scotland
2013 - "Lost life", Paisley Arts Centre, Paisley, Scotland
2012 - "End of year show", Clynd Bank College, Glasgow, Scotland
2012 - "Lost life", Black History Festival, Union, Stayldclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland

PUBLIARTIST PUBLICATIONS:

2024 - Walking By Tom Jeffery , published by Whitechapel Gallery / The MIT Press, Purchasing Link
2022 - WELCOME TO PORTOBELLO, Iman Tajik, published by Art Walk Press, Purchasing Link
2019 - The Journal of Unconditional Being, CCA Glasgow,
2017 - Hopeful v Hopeless, GSA Glasgow, UK

SELECTED TALKS/WORKSHOPS:

07 Feb 2022 - Edinburgh College of Art, Artist Talk

24 Jan 2022 - Shcool of Fine Art, The Glasgow Shcool of Glasgow, UK. Artist Talk

29 Jan and 1 Feb 2021 - Shcool of Fine Art, The Glasgow Shcool of Glasgow, UK. Artist Talk

15 and 19 Nov 2020 - Glasgow, UK.

Workshop | Making Solidarity project, part of Scotland Interfaith Week. For more information or to Join from here See Exhibition: Scottish Interfaith Week

17 January 2020 - Huntly, UK. Artist talk | Friday lunch by Deveron Project, 12 pm to 1:30 pm at Deveron Project, Huntly, UK

5 November 2019 - Glasgow, UK. Artist talk | The School of Social & Political Sciences | University of Stirling, 10 am to 3:30 pm

26 August 2019 - Stirling, UK. Artist in conversation and run a flag-making workshop, Artreach Summer Campus | Artlink Central | the University of Stirling, 10 am to 3:30 pm

28 June 2019 - Dundee, UK. Artist Talk and Workshop,Artist in conversation and run a flag-making workshop at V&A Dundee. from 10 am to 5 pm

27 June 2019 - Glasgow, UK. Artists Symposium, Artists in Conversation at CCA.https://www.cca-glasgow.com/programme/scottish-refugee-council-artists-symposium

24 Aug 2018, Edinburgh, UK. Migration + Borders, Group Artist in conversation Rising nationalism and the role of art, 11 am Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. Part of Edinburgh Art Festival 2018.https://www.deveron-projects.com/events/migration-borders/

25 Jun 2016, Glasgow, UK. Trazitzone exhibition, Refugee Festival, Gallery oF Modern Art, Glasgow, UK

SELECTED REVIEWS/INTERVIEWS:

2023 - Documents of Contemporary Art: Walking book by Tom Jeffreys
Whitechapel Gallery and the MIT Press, Publication: March 2024

2023 - Walking as Artistic Practice book by Ellen Mueller, published by SUNY Press. https://mailchi.mp/31906c18ab0a/walking-as-artistic-practice

2023 - The Scotsman - Season of plenty: Autumn art highlights across Scotland-

2022- The Skinnyhttps://www.theskinny.co.uk/art/features/art-walk-porty-stories-in-the-salt

2021 - MAP Magazine - https://mapmagazine.co.uk/bordered-miles-in-the-footsteps-of-iman-tajik

2021 - Sunday National newspaper - Issue 16 May 2021 – Paper Magazine- page 14 and 15.

2021 - The Scotsman - Art reviews - 28th May 2021,

2021- The UK ART, Featured by Art UK, What would Scottish culture be without immigrant artists?https://artuk.org/discover/stories/what-would-scottish-culture-be-without-immigrant-artists#

2021- The UK ART, Featured by Art UK as Ten artists to follow on Instagram in 2021https://artuk.org/discover/stories/ten-artists-to-follow-on-instagram-in-2021?fbclid=IwAR0atB0eXRc24zoRjlwwx6dm6ziuDUGEGYviwd7ns_2IgigLvBKvwZY02bA

2020 - The List, https://www.list.co.uk/article/114691-iman-tajik-art-hasthe-power-to-build-and-transform-social-relations-and-to-advocate-for-equality-and-justice/?platform=hootsuite

2020 - Art Magazine https://artmag.co.uk/art-walk-porty-all-at-sea-and-iman-tajiks-where-the-body-meets-the-land/

2019 - North East of North. June https://northeastofnorth.com/freedom-of-movement/

2019 - ART Scottish, Art News Magazine, Issue 30 Autumn

2019 – Paper Magazine- page 24 and 25.

2017-It’s Nice That, June Issue https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/iman-tajik-jonas-jessen-hansen-who-is-art-270617

2017 - Glasgow Live, June https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-lives-iman-34

2017 - Plat forma, May http://www.platforma.org.uk/who-is-project/

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