About
About Mona Raissi
I'm Mona Raissi — a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto, Canada, working across painting, photography, and digital media since 2014. My practice is rooted in storytelling, memory, and place. Whether through the layered texture of acrylic on canvas or a carefully composed photomontage, I use visual language to explore emotion, history, and identity. Each piece I create is a dialogue — between past and present, space and silence, self and surroundings. I am fascinated by historical places and the stories embedded in their walls. My creative process often begins by physically visiting these sites, photographing them, and researching their histories. These explorations form the foundation of collections like "Locations Isolation" — my most celebrated body of work to date.
Award
Honourable Mention — Photography & Digital Media Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF 63), July 2024 Supported by Toronto Image Works "Museums enrich our lives by helping us to understand our pasts, and with this series, Mona Raissi has compellingly turned her lens onto the histories of these buildings themselves. In Raissi's photos, institutional narratives and domestic intimacies sit side by side, enhanced by her use of colour and texture. In this way her work invites us to consider what is worthy of preservation and display." — Michèle Pearson Clarke, Artist & Assistant Professor, School of Image Arts
Exhibitions
The Artist Project Art Fair, Toronto — Locations Isolation series (May 2025)
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF 63) — Locations Isolation series + Award (July 2024)
Arta Gallery, Toronto — Group exhibition, Locations Isolation collection (September 2022)
HelloArt Solo Exhibition, Burlington, Ontario — Curated solo show (July 2023)
Group Exhibition, Madrid, Spain — "Vaccine for World War 3" (April 2020)
Samin Art Gallery, Tehran — Solo Exhibition, ArtDeco in Persian Style (2016)
Ehsan Art Gallery, Tehran — Clothing Design Exhibition (2010)
7th International Conference on Design & Emotion, Chicago — Published article (2010)
Education & Credentials
Master of Arts in Industrial Design — University of Tehran / International Kish Campus (2010) - Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering — Islamic Azad University (2006) - Art Gallery, Exhibition, Curating & Artist Management — Udemy Academy, Toronto (2023) - Fashion Design Workshop — Domus Academy, Milan, Italy (2010) - Fashion Photography Certificate — Cavendish College, London, England (2015) - Interior Design Certificate — Cavendish College, London, England (2007) - Photography Certificate — PAYA Institute, Tehran (2014) - Painting classes with Reza Onsori & Zeynab Movahed (2012 & 2017)
Professional Experience
Co-founder, SHM Photography & SHM Advertising Inc. (Toronto, 2017–present) - Photographer, KODAK.IT — DoorDash photography projects, Toronto (2017) - Photographer, Snappr — Modeling & product photography (2019) - Founder, M Art Projects (formerly Moaser Studio), Toronto (2015–present) - Freelance Artist — Professional collage, digital art, and abstract painting (2014–present) - Art Gallery & Shop Collaborations in Tehran: Basmeh Artshop, SHYN Gallery, B-concept, Aknoon Gallery
Find My Work
Website: martprojects.com
Instagram: @mona.ra.i
Saatchi Art: saatchiart.com/monaraissi
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair: toaf.ca/gallery/mona-raissi
Email: art.m.projects@gmail.com