BIOGRAPHY

My name is Kianoush Ramezani, an Iranian awarded editorial and political cartoonist and author lives and works in Europe since 2009. My editorial cartoons appeared in Libération, Courrier International, Guardian, Arte, Le1, WeDemain and many other European and International media. I publish my weekly chronicle titled ”Vu par Kianoush Ramezani” in La Croix newspaper each Monday from 2019. My Illustrations have been published in the cover of prestigious French magazines such as L’Express, WeDemain, Courrier International. A series of my original cartoons titled “R like Resistance” are part of the collection of Kunst Museum Solingen in Germany.

I received many awards such as French award for artistic courage of 2018 in Angouleme International comics festival, international cartooning award of 2012 from Geneva city hall given by Kofi Annan, Award of Canadian committee for press freedom in 2020. I am the winner of LiberPress international award in 2022.

I have given educational lectures in high schools, colleges, and universities since 2010 in Europe, to raise awareness about the importance of “freedom of expression” among the young generation. I chose “Cartooning: The Art of Danger” for my TEDx talk in 2014, months before the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo. I have been curating and organizing international cartoon exhibitions since 2011 in Europe [France, Sweden, Germany etc.] I initiated the first international cartoon award dedicated to women cartoonists in 2020. I have been jury member of Interfilm Berlin [International short film festival] in 2015 and 2016. I am the founder-president of the “United Sketches” – an international organization located in France promoting freedom of expression and supporting cartoonists in exile. I have been granted political asylum in 2010 and am a refugee protected by France.

Solo Exhibitions

· 2024, Gallerie Art Maniak, Paris, France

· 2024, Musee de la Franc-maçonnerie, Paris, France

· 2023, La maison de dessin de presse, Switzerland

· 2021, Lapinlahti, Helsinki, Finland

· 2019, La Maison de la Laïcité, Belgium

· 2019, Solingen art Museum, Germany

· 2018, Angoulême International comics festival [OFF], France

· 2017, Mémorial des civils dans la guerre, Falaise, Normandy, France

· 2016, Maison de la Culture de Corbusier, Firminy, France

· 2016, “The Art of Danger” Retrospective Solo Exhibition, Nova Contemporary Art Gallery, Washington, USA.

· 2014, “My Article19” Solo Exhibition, La Caféothèque Gallery, Paris, France.

· 2014, “Exile” Solo Exhibition, Alhambra Cinema Gallery, Marseille, France.

· 2013, “Against the Death Penalty” Solo Exhibition, Palace of Justice, Madrid, Spain.

· 2013, “Déjà vu Solo Exhibition”, Cité Internationale des arts, Paris, France.

· 1993 till 2006, 10 solo exhibitions in Tehran and Rasht, Iran.

Group Exhibitions

· 2022, “ExodeS” group exhibition, curated by UMAM – L’Union Méditerranéenne pour l’Art Moderne [founded by Henri Matisse], Nice, France

· 2019, “Liberté, Liberté, Chérie !” group exhibition, curated by UMAM – L’Union Méditerranéenne pour l’Art Moderne [founded by Henri Matisse], Nice, France

· 2016, “Confrontations” International Group Exhibition, Babylon Cinema, Berlin, Germany.

· 2015, “Sketch Freedom” 2nd International Group Exhibition, National Archive Gallery, Gothenburg, Sweden.

· 2014, “Sketch Freedom” International Group Exhibition, National Archive Gallery, Gothenburg, Sweden.

· 2013, “Dove of Peace” International Group Exhibition, Tel-Aviv, Israel.

· 2013, “Women Deliver” International Group Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

· 2012, “About love”, together with 2 Israeli artists, Cité Internationale des arts, Paris, France.

· 2012, “First International award of Political Cartooning Exhibition”, Quai Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland.

· 2012, “Little Fukushima” International Group Exhibition, Cité Internationale des arts, Paris, France.

· 1993 till 2006, more than 20 Group Exhibitions in Tehran and Rasht, Iran.

JURY

· 2020, “Cartoonists vs Conspiracy” International cartoon awards, Paris, France

· 2018, “Sokol” Prize for critical drawing, caricature and satire, Krems Museum, Austria

· 2018, 14th National Youth Press Contest “Expresso”, Paris, France

· 2017, President of the Jury, “Prix Memorial” International cartoon awards, Normandy, France

· 2017, 13th National Youth Press contest “Expresso”, Paris, France

· 2016, “Interfilm” international short film festival, Berlin, Germany

· 2016, Cartoon award of the national youth press contest “Kaléïdo’scoop”, France

· 2016, International pleading Competition of the Caen Memorial Museum, France

· 2015, “Interfilm” international short film festival, Berlin, Germany

· 2015, International pleading competition for the Memorial of Caen, France

Artist in residence

· 2023, Cité Internationale des Arts, Finnish foundation of Cité des arts, Paris, France

· 2017, The Memorial of Caen Museum, Normandy, France

· 2012 – 2013, Utopiana, Geneva City Hall, Geneva, Switzerland.

· 2011 – 2012, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris City Hall, Paris, France

Awards

· 2022, LiberPress international award, Spain

· 2020, Second Prize, International Editorial Cartoon award, Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, Canada

· 2018, Artistic Courage award, Angoulême International comics Festival, Fluide Glaciale Publishing house, France

· 2014, Prize of the Jury, International Cartoon and satire festival, Marseille, France

· 2012, First International Editorial Cartooning Award, Geneva City Hall, Geneva, Switzerland.

Lectures

· 2017, Official Lecture of Swiss national day, Geneva, Switzerland

· 2015, “TO Be Charlie Or Not To Be”, Universal Tolerance Forum, Norway

· 2014, “Cartooning: Art of Danger”, TEDx Talk, The Hague, Netherlands

· 2014, “Curating Exile”, Centre 116 [Contemporary Arts Center], Montreuil, France.

Membership

· La Maison des Artistes [French House of Artists]

· International Federation of Journalists – IFJ

· Cartoonists Rights International organization

Artistic Approach

“I observe society and the interactions between human beings – philosophically, politically, and instinctively. This is my main source of inspiration. I provoke society to remind it to act and sometimes to react. I put activism in every single line, pixel, or kilobyte. My main intention is to remind the value of Freedom of Expression as a fundamental right for human beings. My art is my activism, and my activism is my life. “Freedom of Expression” is my main profound motivation for creation, and it is present when I am drawing, when I am making a video art or doing an artist talk [TEDx talk]. My name is known an engaged activist and cartoonist by dozens of interviews with international media and journals, but my goal is to show the art of cartooning as an immensely powerful contemporary art and to show its capacity of its interactions with Music, Performance and Video art.”