Keyvan Heydari-Shovir (Persian:کیوان حیدری شویر; born September 1985), also known as CK1, is an Iranian-born contemporary artist, and street artist. His work combines Iranian traditional culture with contemporary pop culture, and he is a pioneer of Iranian graffiti art.[1] He lives in Los Angeles, and previously lived in San Francisco and Tehran.[2]
Keyvan Heydari-Shovir was born in 1985 in Tehran, Iran, during the Iran–Iraq War.
He obtained his BA degree (2009) in painting from the University of Tabriz; and a Master of Fine Arts degree (2018) from the California College of the Arts.[3][4][5] In 2011, following the Green Revolution in 2009, he moved to the United States.[3][6]
Shovir was among the first artists that established the Iranian graffiti movement that emerged in Tehran in 2002. He uses Persian alphabet and Islamic art motifs in his work, exploring Iranian poets like Hafez and Rumi.[6] His stencils are inspired by Persian miniature art.[7]
He was friends with the members of the band The Yellow Dogs in Iran, two of whom were killed in a shooting in Brooklyn in 2013.[3][8]
Shovir was featured in the film documentary, Mutiny of Colours (2016) as one of Iran's formative street artists.[9]
He has done several street and public art projects in San Francisco. In 2015, in Clarion Alley, Shovir put up a mural with artist Shaghayegh Cyrous, "In Memory Of", was made in the memory of three female Iranian literary figures - Forough Farrokhzad, Simin Behbahani, and Simin Daneshvar.[10] In 2020, Shovir painted "In Memory of George Floyd 1974–2020" in Clarion Alley in San Francisco.[11]
In 2022, Shovir painted a mural located at 19449 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, California; which depicts Mahsa Amini without a headscarf along with protestor, Nika Shakarami.[2]
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