10 Facts About Ala Ebtekar

Ala Ebtekar is known for his work in painting, drawing, illumination, and installation.

Ala Ebtekar's practice extends how our contemporary moments both live together as minuscule and paramount.

Ala Ebtekar grew up in Berkeley and Oakland, California in the San Francisco Bay Area to parents who immigrated to the United States from Iran.

Ala Ebtekar is the great nephew of the renowned Iranian poet Hushang Ebtehaj.

Ala Ebtekar started drawing at an early age, and by his adolescent years he began to focus his energies on music.

One year later, Ala Ebtekar traveled to Tehran, Iran to visit extended family which led him to return several months later to study art.

Ala Ebtekar served as a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Art Practice at the University of California at Berkeley from 2007 to 2008, and has served as visiting faculty in the Department of Art and Art History at Stanford University since 2009.

Ala Ebtekar's work has been included in over 70 group exhibitions, 5 two-person exhibitions, and 12 solo exhibitions.

In May 2005, Ala Ebtekar had a two-person exhibition at Lisa Dent Gallery in San Francisco with artist Jeong-Im Yi.

Ala Ebtekar has been awarded residencies at ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe in Germany, Cite internationale des arts in Paris, Sazmanab in Tehran, Iran, the San Francisco Center for the Book, and 18th Street Art Center in Los Angeles through the Visions from the New California Award, a project of the Alliance of Artist Communities in partnership with the James Irvine Foundation.