Anahita Akhavan is an Iranian-Canadian painter based in Toronto. Her work takes influence from cultural signifiers and ornamentation used in Islamic art to create symbolic and contemporary abstraction. She has exhibited extensively in Iran and Canada as well as in the US and has participated in artist residencies in Spain and Greece. In 2022, Akhavan was awarded an Ontario Arts Council grant, and in 2021 was awarded the RBC Newcomer Arts Award and a Toronto Council grant. She holds an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan and obtained her BFA from the University of Tehran, Iran. Akhavan’s works are in the permanent collections of Scotiabank, TD Bank, Telus, Capital One, RBC Permanent Art Collection, and other corporate and private collections.