Yousha Bashir (b. 1989, Manila, Philippines) is a multidisciplinary Iranian artist living and working in Toronto. He holds a degree in Computer Graphics Design and a BA in Visual Arts from the University of Farhangian in Tehran. His practice has evolved from sculpture and installation toward an expanded understanding of painting as a spatial and perceptual condition rather than a confined surface.
Bashir’s work is anchored in what he calls “in-between space”—the overlooked realm between forms, thoughts, and bodies, allowing them to emerge. This attention to space is deeply informed by Eastern philosophies, which guide his approach to perception through an awareness of impermanence and continuous transformation. These ideas underpin his exploration of perception, identity, and boundary: where a form begins and ends, and where the self separates from its environment. His work challenges the frame, dissolving it or extending it, allowing painting to become an environment.
A core aspect of his practice is his use of color luminosity, which he uses to test the limits of perception. By placing contrasting colors in tension, he explores how color is perceived beyond optical stability, focusing on the thresholds of human perception. This tension between control and material presence shapes his luminous, shifting landscapes.
In recent works, Bashir embraces imperfection, gesture, and repetition. Through iterative reworking—both across canvases and within a single surface—he tests the work’s boundaries, treating each piece as provisional. His use of light structures each composition, evoking movement and new perspectives on space. His practice invites viewers to move beyond the image and engage fully with the act of perceiving and being present within space.
CV
Born in 1989
Lives and works in Toronto, Canada
EDUCATION
2011 B.A. in Visual Arts, Tarbiat Moallem University, Tehran, Iran
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 “Transcendent Dimensions,” Parallel Circuit, Tehran, Iran
2021 “The Infinite Continuum,” Parallel Circuit, Tehran, Iran
2018 “Outer/Inner Landscapes-Ephemeral Forms,” Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2015 “Beyond Me,” Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 “Ego-Trap,” Hinterland, Vienna, Austria
2013 “No-Mind,” Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2012 “Green-White-Red,” SAZMANAB, Tehran, Iran
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 “The Frame on the Threshold,” Dastan Outside: Focus Room, Tehran, Iran
2026 “Inventory of Belonging,” Aabeebleueproject, Los Angeles, USA
2026 “Resonance,” Dastan Outside: Sam Center, Tehran, Iran
2026 “Parallel Circuits’s,” Dastan Outside X Francois Ghebaly, Los Angeles, USA
2026 “WIND-BORN,” Emmanuel College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
2026 “Emergency relief for Iran,” The plumb, Toronto, Canada
2026 “Frieze LA,” Dastan’s Basement Booth, Los Angeles, USA
2025 “Beyond the Mirage,” Mellal Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2024 “Art Toronto,” Zaal art gallery, Toronto, Canada
2024 “Art Dubai,” Dastan’s Basement Booth, Dubai, UAE
2023 “Liste Art Fair Basel,”Dastan’s Basement, Basel, Switzerland
2023 “Prospect,” Parallel Circuit Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2022 “Art Dubai Digital,” Nftation X Dastan’s Basement Booth, Dubai, UAE
2022 “Art Dubai,” Dastan’s Basement Booth, Dubai, UAE
2022 “Frieze LA,” Dastan’s Basement Booth, Los Angeles, USA
2021 “Art Dubai,” Dastan’s Basement Booth, Dubai, UAE
2021 “New Visions,” Vantage art projects, Online
2020 “Art Dubai,” Dastan’s Basement Booth, Dubai, UAE
2019 “Three Positions,” O Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2019 “Faces,” Homa art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2018 “SAZMANAB at Taiwan Annual,” Taipei, Taiwan
2018 “A Selection of Etemad Collection,” Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2017 “Border Control,” CC Art Space, Isfahan, Iran
2017 “GlueHeads,” Pejman Foundation: Kandovan, Tehran, Iran
2017 “Shattered Frames: Recent video work from Iran,” Pejman Foundation: Kandovan, Tehran, Iran
2016 “The Possibility of Events,” A Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2016 “Summer Group Exhibition,” Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2016 “Shattered Frames: Recent video work from Iran,” Carnegie Museum of Art, US
2015 “Characteristic,” Vista Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2015 “Bits And Pieces,” Aaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2015 “Fluorescent,” Artlounge, Tehran, Iran
2015 “Centrefold Project: Spring of recession,” SAZMANAB, Tehran, Iran
2015 “Mapping Within: An Alternative Guide to Tehran and Beyond,” The Mine, Dubai, UAE
2015 “Years In Review: Dastan and Sam Art,” Dastan Outside The Basement Project, Tehran, Iran
2015 “In respect of a new spring,” Basmeh Niavaran, Tehran, Iran
2015 “Culture of Peace,” Lajevardi Collection, Tehran, Iran
2014 “Limited Access Festival 5”, Aaran Gallery, Vista Gallery, No.6 Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 “Refest”, Culturehub, NYC, US
2014 “Inwards/out,” Dastan’s Basement, Tehran, Iran
2014 “Art For Peace,” Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2013 “The Review of A Decade of Video Art in Tehran,” Iranian Artists’ Forum, Tehran, Iran
2013 “Open Source,” Shirin Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2013 “Anti Hero,” Dastan’s Basement, Tehran, Iran
2013 “Lost and Found in Tehran: Contemporary Iranian Video,” Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio, US
2013 “SubTehran: Subjective Truth from Tehran,” CCA-T Center of Contemporary Art Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
2012 “Action-Expression-Creativity,” Mah-e Mehr Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2012 “OCCUPY ME! Dedicated to Radiohead,” Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2011 “A selection of Iranian contemporary sculpting procedure,” Farvahar Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2011 “Pool,” Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
