“… Riahi beautifully captures a longing for intimacy and the vulnerability of being alone.” — NoBudge

Naz Riahi (she/her) is an Iranian interdisciplinary artist who work is grounded in text and writing, film and performance. Her work explores outsiderness, often through the humor of reaching for connection; as well as alienation through the loss of mother-tongue.

Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Naz’s films have received a Vimeo Staff Pick and won a Vimeo Best of the Year Award and a NoBudge Best Film of the Year. They have garnered praise from Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The New York Times and Fast Company and screened at numerous festivals including Woodstock and Outfest.

Her essays and fiction have been published in outlets such as A Public Space, Harper’s Bazaar, Pipe Wrench, Food & Wine, Los Angeles Review of Books, Longreads, Catapult, Guernica and more. And, she edited Kathleen Hanna’s NYT Best Selling memoir, Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk.

Naz has performed original works at MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles), The Broad museum, Mortified show, Dynasty Handbag’s Weirdo Night and more.

She was the creator of the dialogical art project, Bitten. In recognition of Bitten, Naz was invited to SXSL at the Obama White House and received public praise from President Obama.

Many of her projects, from the comedic — a photo of a vegan sausage — to the political — writings on the Woman Life Freedom movement — have gone viral.

Naz holds an MFA from the New School and is the recipient of a fellowship from Yaddo. the Fondation Jan Michalski, the Edward Albee Foundation, Headlands Center for the Arts and Baldwin for the Arts; and grants from NYFA City Artist Corps and The MAP Fund.

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