EDUCATION
2020 Masters in Fine Arts - Studio Arts, Photography. Concordia University, Montreal.
2014 Bachelors of Fine Arts - Photography Studies, School of Image Arts. Toronto Metropolitan University
SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2024 the pilgrim is always in danger of becoming a tourist, Zinnia Naqvi & Althea Thauberger at Susan Hobbs Gallery, Toronto
2024 the person you don’t see in this image is me, the camera-person, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Toronto
2023 The Professor’s Desk – Whippersnapper Gallery, Toronto. In Partnership with Mayworks and Asian Canadian Labour Alliance.
2022 It was my discomfort that weighted the camera – Blinkers Art and Project Space, Winnipeg
2022 Yours to Discover - Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain, Montreal
2021 The Translation is Approximate - Dazibao, Montreal
2017 Dear Nani - Artspace at the Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
2016 Heart-shaped Box - Trinity Square Video (Vitrine Space), Toronto.
2015 Seaview - The Image Centre, Toronto
PUBLIC PROJECTS
2021 Yours to Discover - Broadway City Skytrain Station, Vancouver BC. Capture Photography Festival. Curated by Emmy Lee Wall
2020 Billboard on Shaw: Zinnia Naqvi | The Border Guards Were Friendly, Critical Distance Centre for Curators and Gallery TPW, Toronto, Ontario. Curated by Noa Bronstein
2019 Yours to Discover – Peel Art Gallery Museum + Archives, Brampton, Ontario. Curated by Darrin Martens
RESIDENCIES
2023 Rungh Magazine Archive Creation Residency
2022-23 Labour Arts Catalyst: Mayworks Festival for Working People in the Arts
2022 Colgate/Flaherty Distinguished Global Filmmaker Residency program
2021 PRIM-Dazibao Production-Dissemination Residency, PRIM Centre, Montreal
2017 EMILIA-AMALIA Working Group, Artists in Residence at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
2016 The International Institute of Contemporary Art and Theory, Mangalia, Romania
2016 PEERS Program, Whippersnapper Gallery, Toronto
SCREENINGS & FILM FESTIVALS
2023 Images Festival, Neither Business Nor Pleasure, Toronto
2023 MassArt Ciné Culture - Massachusetts College of Art and Design
2023 Images Festival, I Am My Own Ghost, Curated by Emma Steen, Toronto
2022 Gandhara Independent Film Festival (Online)
2022 VISAFF Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival
2022 Flaherty NYC at Anthology Film Archives. “Out of Sight, Held in Mind” part of the program “Let’s All by Lichen” curated by asinnajaq
2022 Flaherty/Colgate Global Filmmaker in Residence Screening at Colgate University, Hamilton, New York.
2019 In præsentia/in absentia with Momenta Biennale | 37e FIFA, Dazibao, Montreal
2018 Broad Topics.06 - Curated by Lauren Fournier & Daniella Sanader - LOMAA - London Ontario Media Arts Association
2017 What is Left? What is Right? Forest City Gallery, London Ontario. Curated by Christina Battle
2017 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art, Toronto, Canada
2016 Equitable Bank’s Emerging Digital Artists Award, Presentation Ceremony, AGO Jackman Hall, Toronto.
2016 Breakthroughs Film Festival, Toronto, Canada.
2015 Regent Park Film Festival, Shorts: Testaments of Home program. Toronto, Canada
2015 Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Uppsala, Sweden.
2015 Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen, Germany.
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Coming into Sight: 50th Anniversary Art Bank Acquisitions, Art Bank of Canada, Ottawa
2022 Vantage Point Sharjah 10, Sarjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates
2022 Grounded Currents -Verksmiðjan á Hjalteyri, Iceland. Curated by ýorbjörg Jónsdóttir
2022 Related - Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver. Curated by Lyndsay Pomerantz
2022 Inherit - Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam, BC. Curated by Kate Henderson.
2021 In Keeping with Myself. Portrait Gallery of Canada. Ottawa. Curated by Darren Pottie
2021 Gives-on-and-with: Decolonial Moves of the Transcultural. Or Gallery, Vancouver. Curated by Noor Bhangu.
2021 All We Carry. Study Hall at PrattMWP. Utica, New York.
2020 Opening Night – POP Montreal, Theatre Rialto. Curated by Hugo Dufour and Bronson Smillie
2019 Reading Silences - Forest City Gallery. London, Ontario. Curated by Matthew Kyba
2019 New Generation Photography Award – Canadian Photography Institute at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Curated by Andrea Kunard
2019 To see and see again - Hamilton Artists Inc., Hamilton. Curated by Abedar Kamgari
2019 New Generation Photography Award – the Gladstone Hotel, Toronto. Curated by Andrea Kunard
2018 Re Present: Photography from South Asia - Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops BC. Curated by Adrienne Fast
2017 The More I Look At These Images - 8-11, Toronto. Works by Christina Battle, Jennifer Murphy, Zinnia Naqvi, and Celia Perrin Sidarous.
2017 Karachi Biennale. VM Art Gallery, Karachi Pakistan. Curated by Amin Gulgee and Zarmeene Shah
2017 Archival Alchemy - Abron’s Art Centre New York City. Curated by Saisha Grayson and South Asian Women’s Creative Collective
2017 Ignition 13 - Galerie Leonard & Bina Ellen, Montreal. Curated by Shauna Janssen and Michèle Thériault
2017 Yonder - University of Waterloo Art Gallery Waterloo. Curated by Matthew Brower and Mona Filip.
2016 Mémoires futures / Future Memories - Articule, Montreal. Exhibition as part of the HTMlLes Feminist Video Festival.
2016 Found Footing - Whippersnapper Gallery Toronto.
2016 Yonder - Koffler Gallery Toronto. Curated by Matthew Brower and Mona Filip.
2015 NS Photo Exchange MACBA - Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Buenos Aires
Photographic exchange project between Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography (Toronto) and PH15 Foundation (Buenos Aires) and OCAD University (Toronto)
2015 North South Photo Exchange Project, Gallery 44, Toronto, presented during the PANAM Games.
GRANTS/AWARDS
2023 Toronto Arts Council - Visual Artist’s Creation Grant
2021 Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec - Vivacité Grant for Visual Artists
2021 Canada Council for the Arts - Explore and Create Grant for Media Artists
2019 New Generation Photography Award - Organized by the Canadian Photography Institute of the National Gallery of Canada in partnership with Scotiabank.
2019 Concordia University Fine Arts Travel Award
2019 Concordia University Graduate Student Mobility Award
2017 Honourable Mention - 2017 Karachi Biennale
2017 SSHRC - Joseph-Armand Bombardier: Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master's
2016 Faculty of Fine Arts Fellowship - Concordia University
2015 Finalist - Doc Institute Award for Best Short Canadian Documentary, Regent Park Film Festival
2015 Finalist - Equitable Bank’s Emerging Digital Artists Award
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2024 Sessional Lecturer NPF568 - Analogue as Meaning, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University
2024 Sessional Lecturer MPS306 - The Idea of Photography, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University
2024 Sessional Lecturer JAV 130 – Visual Strategies, University of Toronto
2023 Sessional Lecturer FPN735 - Directed Field Study – Working in Art and Culture
2023 Sessional Lecturer VIS 218H1 – Photo-based Digital, University of Toronto
2023 Sessional Lecturer MPS 42B Senior Project B, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University
2023 Sessional Lecturer JAV 130 – Visual Strategies, University of Toronto
2022 Sessional Lecturer MPS 506, 3rd Year Photo Production, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University.
2022 Sessional Lecturer MPS 308, 2nd Year Photo Production, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University.
2022 Sessional Lecturer VIS 218 - Photo-based Digital, University of Toronto
2022 Sessional Lecturer JAV 130 – Visual Studies, University of Toronto
2022 Sessional Lecturer MPS 207 – Photography and the Screen, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University.
2020 Sessional Lecturer MPS 506 - Third Year Photography Production, School of Image Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University.
2018 Sessional Lecturer - Photo 201: Introduction to Colour Darkroom, Concordia University
2018 Festival Coordinator - Tillitarniit Arts Festival, FOFA Gallery, Montreal
2016 Development Coordinator - Hot Docs: Canadian International Documentary Film Festival
2015 Membership and Development Assistant - Gallery TPW
2014 Intern - SAVAC: South Asian Visual Arts Centre
2014 Intern and Archives Assistant: The Image Centre
SELECT PUBLIC TALKS
2023 The Professor’s Desk – In Conversation. Panel discussion with Professor Kin-Yip Chun and Chris Ramsaroop. Hosted by OPIRG Toronto and Mayworks Festival
2023 Moving the Landscape to Find Ground: Artist Talk with Zinnia Naqvi. Hosted by the Post-Image Cluster and Concordia University.
2022 Flaherty/Colgate Distinguished Global Filmmaker in Residence Colgate University, Hamilton, New York.
2022 Roundtable Discussion – Inherit. Art Gallery of Evergreen. Moderated by Kate Henderson.
2022 Guest Lecture – Contemporary Issues. Professor Alize Zorlutuna. OCAD University, Toronto.
2022 Guest Lecture – Shortlisted Candidate for the Position of Assistant or Associate Professor in Photography. Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Halifax, Nova Scotia
2021 Dear Nani Book Launch – Hosted by Anchorless Press
2021 Artist Talk, In Keeping with Myself – Portrait Gallery of Canada
2021 Guest Lecture – VISA 110 Foundation Studio: Digital Media. Professor Althea Thauberger. University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
2021 Guest Lecture - ARTH267, Aspects of the History of Photography. Professor Georgia Amos, Concordia University, Montreal.
2021 Guest Lecture – PHOTO 301, 3rd Year Photographic Production with Marisa Portolese, Concordia University, Montreal.
2021 Conversations in Contemporary Art, A Conversation with Juan Ortiz-Apuy and Zinnia Naqvi. Concordia University.
2020 Guest Lecture – Artist Talk for PHOTO 201, Introduction to Colour Photography with Jessica Auer, Concordia University Montreal.
2019 Meet the Artists – National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
2019 Guest Lecture - ARTH267, Aspects of the History of Photography. Professor Stéphanie Hornstein, Concordia University
2018 Artist Talk - Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops BC.
2017 Dear Nani - Exhibition and Panel discussion with Eduardo Velázquez – Ryerson Artspace, Toronto.
2016 Found Footing – Screening at Jackman Hall AGO, Toronto..
2015 Artist Talk - Seaview with Sharlene Bamboat, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto.