Mahnaz Ekhtiary, artist and fashion designer, was born in Tehran in 1985 and lives and works in Milan. Her practice explores the physical and psychological dimensions of the human being through the relationship between body, nature, and material. Fabric, paper, wood, and resin become living and transforming surfaces. Through these materials, she creates sculptural and performative works that raise multiple questions.

In June 2026, she participates in the fourth stage of This is the End at MO.CA – Center for new cultures. Previously, in 2025, she took part in the third stage of the project, hosted by  Villa Contemporary Gallery, with a work focused on the manipulation of information and the construction of identity. That same year, she participated in the group exhibition Tratto (Art, Body, Soul), curated by Filip Borel, at Lariofiere. She also inaugurated the solo exhibition Under the skin of the city at the law firm Albe&Associati. The project reflects on the relationship between identity and environment. In particular, it brings human skin into dialogue with the skin of the city. In addition, she participated in the group exhibition (Un)definite Pages, curated by Andrea Meregalli and Monica Villa.

A year earlier, in 2024, she exhibited at Milano Scultura at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Free to disappear at Spazio Ex Fornace, and Radical Voice – Woman Life Freedom at Sozzani Foundation. Through these works, she uses newspapers as artistic material. Furthermore, she examines how authoritarian regimes manipulate information. Her work raises questions, presents different perspectives, and challenges dominant narratives.

The following year, in 2023, she presented the solo exhibition I am the change at Villa Contemporary, Monza. The series originates from forms generated by chance. As a result, it develops into an exploration of the unconscious and the hidden layers of identity.

Between 2020 and 2022, she was selected for Miniartextil, the international fiber art exhibition, held in Como, Busto Arsizio, and Montrouge, France. Earlier, in 2019, she was nominated for the Fashion Film Award by SHOWstudio in London. Then, in 2018, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion selected her as an emerging fashion designer. During this period, she created sculptural garments and expanded her practice into textile art.

In 2017, she was a finalist in the Jewelry Design competition, promoted by the Lombardy Region. Since then, contemporary jewelry has become an important part of her artistic journey. She sees it as a small sculpture that tells the story of its wearer.

Two years earlier, in 2015, she participated in the Venice Biennale with Codice Italia Academy at Palazzo Grimani. That same year, she exhibited at Expo Milano in Hi Sweetie and life of Elsa Schiaparelli (Design Box). During this period, her work increasingly moved toward sculpture.

Before moving to Italy, she held several solo exhibitions in Iran. These included Empty dress (2011) and The tree of body (2013) at  Golestan Gallery in Tehran. In Empty dress, newspapers take the shape of the human body. In this way, they become sculptures that represent absence and question the role of the media. Similarly, the dialogue between fabric and wood reflects the human condition, balancing fragility and strength.

Alongside her solo exhibitions, she participated in several international group exhibitions. These included SNAC 2012 at Art People Gallery in San Francisco, as well as the second and third editions of Persbook Art in Isfahan and Tehran. At this early stage, her practice focused mainly on drawing and painting.

After completing her high school diploma in Graphic Design, she graduated from Al-Zahra University of Art in Tehran in 2008, specializing in Artwear. At the same time, she taught Fashion Design and Drawing in Tehran. Later, in 2013, she moved to Milan to study Fashion Design at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. She graduated in 2017.