Ahmad Darkhabani is an architect, researcher, writer, and independent curator. He currently works as a Lecturer at the Institute for Contemporary Art (IZK) within the Faculty of Architecture at Graz University of Technology. Additionally, he works with the Art & Architecture Mediation Department at the Universalmuseum Joanneum, which includes Kunsthaus Graz and Neue Galerie Graz.
Darkhabani's work explores the intersection of contemporary art and architecture, focusing on their role in constructing the social sphere. His research asserts that architecture is not merely a passive backdrop but an active participant in shaping societal structures. Through text and language, Darkhabani is developing a research methodology that challenges conventional, linear understandings of history and time.
Darkhabani worked as a Production & Curatorial Assistant at Grazer Kunstverein, where he worked on various exhibitions such as Cameo by artist Bianca Baldi (2021) and The Actress by artists Aimée Zito Lema and Becket MWN (2021). He was also a member of the curatorial collective Das Gesellschaftliche Ding at Annenstraße 53. Darkhabani worked in Art & Culture Mediation at Schloss Eggenberg (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and was a Project Coordinator at steirischer herbst’20 - Paranoia TV.
Darkhabani took part in various projects, such as Grazer Kunstverein Moves to an In-Between Space with artist Edward Clydesdale Thomson and others (2021). He was also a resident at Praksis, Oslo, Norway, where he co-developed a manifesto rethinking tourism through architecture, art, and community (2022). Darkhabani participated in the Summer School at Kunstverein München, where he contributed to a publication titled The Stories We Tell Ourselves (2021). Most recently, he was one of the selected curators to join the Autumn School of Curating led by Kate Fowle in Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara, Romania (2024).
