Jiyan Zandi

Jiyan Zandi is a Kurdish/Mexican photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Her work explores the politics of identity, feminism, and diaspora in the U.S. Heavily influenced by activism, punk, hip-hop, and her cultural heritage, Jiyan fuses tradition and the contemporary to defy stereotypes and portray the complexities of multicultural identity.

In addition to photography, Jiyan also has experience empowering the community by working for independent record labels, streetwear designers, international education organizations, and forward-thinking artists around the world. She is a graduate of Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she is building Local Brown Baby, a brand focused on empowering communities of color while creating a space for artists to unite through culture and activism.

University of California, Berkeley

CURRENT:
2019 – Focus Iran: Contemporary Photography and Video. Craft Contemporary. Los Angeles, CA (Awarded 1st place in this juried exhibition)

PAST:
​2017 – illMuslims. Arab American National Museum. Detroit, MI
​2016 – illMuslims. HNYPT. Los Angeles, CA
​2016 – No Shade. Hardware Studios. Los Angeles, CA
​2016 – Power of Feminine Energy. WorldBeat Cultural Center. San Diego, CA
​2015 – Day of the Muse. Chicana Art Gallery. San Diego, CA