Khashayar Javanmardi STUDIO

Artist | Photographer | Educator
 

Life-time Projects
The Caspian Lake
WWW
Tales From Purgatory
DDQ

Stories
Grand Bazaar
Israel Palestine
Gang Style

Radiography Farsi (Podcast)
MAMÂT Art Collective

Information
Contact





KJAVAN
STUDIOKhashayar Javanmardi, born in 1991, is a Persian Non-Fiction photographer. Javanmardi’s poetic depictions of the Caspian Sea reflect his own upbringings along its shorelines, the urgent pressure of climate change and environmental degradation on this important body of water, and the lives that persist on its banks. Javanmardi’s sympathetic documentary voice captures both the mystery and poetry of the Iranian coastline, but also the stark contrast of pollution and destruction of the natural environment. Being made to leave Iran, Javamardi’s Caspian work also speaks of the contradictions of his homeland. Javanmardi is now based in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

Education
A.S in Architecture from Guilan University Art and Architecture

B.A in Photojournalism from Danish Media and Journalism School (DMJX)

Addmited MFA from Yale University, deffered due to the U.S new immigration laws.

Employment Plateforme10, Lausanne, Switzerland
2023 - Present

Photo Elysee Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2023 - Present

Educator, 2015 - Present

Ambassador of Save The Caspian Sea NGO, 2025 - Present

Founder of MAMÂT Art Collective, 2020 - 2023

Photographer, Jaam Photo Agency, 2013-2015


Exhibitions
Upcoming... Biel/bienne, Switzeland 2026

Upcoming... Le locle, Switzerland 2026

Caspian Lake, First Museum Solo, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2025

Caspian Lake, SIFEST, Savignano sul Rubicone, Italy 2025

Caspian, Alt+1000, Le Locle, Switzerland 2025

Caspian, Swiss Design Award, Art Basel, Base, Switzerland 2025

Caspian Is Not A Sea, Photoforum Pasquart, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 2024

Caspian, Window 14 Gallery, Gevena, Switzerland, 2024

Evidence Road, Silkroad Gallery, Paris Photo Fair, Paris, France, 2023

Caspian Eyes, Choom Gallery, Anzali, Iran, 2022

Looking for Tethys, Arqavan Gallery, Rasht, Iran, 2022

Urban Portrain, Kommune Aarhus, Denmark, 2021

Sheed Show, Silkroad Gallery, Tehran, 2019

Festspielhaus Hellerau, Dresden Museum, Dresden, Germany, 2019


AchivementsSwiss Design Award, Finalist, Switzerland, 2025

PhotoForum, First Prize, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland

Aperture Portfolio Shortlist, U.S. 2024

TruePicture, Special Mention, Switzerland, 2024

PhMuseum Grant, Second Prize, Spain, 2024



Un/Fund Grant Award, Netherlands, 2023

Lenzburg Fotofestival, Shortlisted, Switzerland, 2023

Verzasca Foto Gold Medal, Switzerland, 2023

Prix Elysee, Special Jury Mention, Switzerland, 2023

ECCA Family Foundation, Grant Award, Denmark, 2020

International Photography Grant, London, Nominee, 2018


Press
Studio Visit; Khashayar Javanmardi

The Guardian; Observer Big Picture

Creative Review; Documenting life and decay along the Caspian Sea
CNN; Striking Photographs document environmental decay on world’s largest lake

Foul smells and survival along the Caspian Sea – in pictures

This Is Paper; Caspian

Collector Daily; Khashayar Javanmardi, Caspian; A Southern Reflection

Booooooom; Caspian

Save The Caspian Sea - Official Ambassador

Special Jury mention of Prix Elysee

Blind Magazine; Through Window; By Sabyl Ghoussoub  

Musée Magazine; Caspian; A Southern Reflection

Artdaily, Caspian Sea’s environmental crisis  

International Photography Magazine; To leave, or not to leave


Publications
Upcoming... WWW1, by Four Eyes Edition

Caspian; A Southern Reflection, published by LooseJoints, 2024

See The Caspian, Published by Elysee Museum, Nominee books, 2023

Last Updated 14.12.25
TMiankaleh peninsula in the southern of the Caspian is one of the richest ecological havens in West Asia and perhaps in the whole world.  It is home to many unique Caspian bird and reptile species native to this region. It is also a very important internationally recognized refuge for migratory birds. By official news, it is facing a risk of disappearing. This is a symbolic photo; the scene is not touched, and it is taken in the jungles in the Caspian. On 8 January 2020, the Boeing 737 was shot down shortly after take-off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. All 176 passengers and crew were killed. Morteza, a 23-year-old shepherd with a deep connection to the sea, expresses his concern over the changing nature of the Caspian, which he feels is 'angry' due to human disregard and lack of gratitude for its bounty. Anzali, Iran, 2021.The Kiashahr Caviar Office, once a bustling center for sturgeon fishing and caviar production, has been abandoned for decades due to a decline in the industry and the weakening of local fisheries. Kiashahr, Iran, 2022.
The Anzali Wetland, a fragile ecosystem, has been ablaze for three days, allegedly set on fire by profiteers who seek to claim the land around the lagoon for profit.
The fires have burned over 12 hectares of the wetland and required the intervention of rescuers using helicopters. The incident has once again highlighted the urgent need for measures to protect the lagoon and its biodiversity. Anzali Lagoon, Iran, 2021.The second breakwater, created without expert guidance, has disrupted water circulation and increased sedimentation in the Anzali lagoon, exacerbating drought conditions and water evaporation. Guilan Province, Iran, 2019.

In Ganjeh Village in the North of Iran during Ashoura mourning, women stand in front of a holly mountain and pray for more rain and greenery. Roudbar, Iran, 2022.The Ghezel Ozen River, one of Iran's longest, has dried up due to a lack of rainfall and climate change, leading to a devastating loss of aquatic wildlife and creating a foul odor for miles. Manjil, Iran, 2022.