Jamal Toomaj

Jamaleddin Toomajnia was born in 1981 in Gonbade Kavous, Iran—one of the three cities that make up the region known as Turkmen Sahra. His name, "Toomaj," comes from a Turkmen tribe, reflecting his cultural heritage.

As a Turkmen living in Iran, his life and art are deeply inspired by the experiences of his community. The Turkmen people, who are Sunni Muslims, have preserved their own unique traditions, clothing, and symbolic carpet patterns and embroideries. A century ago, they lived a nomadic lifestyle in portable dwellings known as Oy. Today, most reside in Turkmenistan and in the Iranian cities of Gonbade Kavous and Bandar Torkaman.

Toomajnia's work explores the tensions between tradition and modernity that define contemporary Turkmen identity in Iran. Through his paintings, he reflects on the paradoxes of his culture—at once rich and restrictive—and seeks to express a personal journey of navigating these complexities. His art is an attempt to both confront and escape the limitations of inherited traditions, offering a deeply personal and symbolic perspective shaped by a complex society.

B.A in Painting from the Fine Arts Faculty of Tehran University.
Master of Arts in History from Tarbiat Modares University. I am studying Art History in the Ph.D. program at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey

Sep 2011: Group exhibition of painting in ‘Hoom’ gallery, Tehran, Iran
Jan 2009: Solo exhibition of watercolor works in "Khanevade" Gallery
Dec 2008: Solo exhibition of monoprint works in "Melal" Gallery
Spring 2007: Student group exhibition at Tehran Gallery, Tehran University
Nov-Dec 2007: Solo exhibition of monoprint works in "Noor" gallery
Sep-Oct 2005: Solo exhibition of monoprint works in "Khanevade" Gallery
Summer 2004: Collaboration in "The Fourth International Painting Biennial of the Islamic World"
Fall 2003: Painting Exhibition in "Turkmen" Conference, Islamic University of Gorgan
Summer 2003: Collaboration in a group exhibition in Laleh Gallery
Summer 2003: Collaboration in "Fourth Biennial Exhibition the Muslim world"
Fall 2002: Collaboration in "Makhtoumqholy Faraghy" Exhibition, Tarbiat Moallem University, Karaj