Roda Medhat

    Roda Medhat is a Kurdish born artist, currently based in Toronto, Canada. Roda's work is textile as sculpture, exploring the various ways traditional West Asian and Kurdish textiles can be translated onto other materials. The research behind the work heavily relies on themes of cultural preservation, archiving and imagined spaces. Using 3D scanning, textbooks and archives, Roda is piecing together a complete image of Kurdish textiles in history and as a modern craft.

    Roda's work has been recognized by the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2023 Roda was selected as the 401 Richmond Career Launcher Prize recipient. In 2024 he also received the CIBC C2 Art Prize.

 BFA OCAD University. Film production at FAMU Film and Television School of Prague. MFA University of Guelph.

Selected Exhibits & Works

• 2024/2025 - CIBC C2 Exhibit. Toronto
• 2024 - Fibreworks; Next In Fibre. Cambridge Art Gallery. Cambridge
• 2023 -  In-Between, RA:X Reel Asian. Toronto
• 2023/2025 - FARSH 2, Erin Mills CC. Mississauga
• 2023 -  Killim: Inflatable, Nocturne. Halifax
• 2023 -  Killim: Inflatable, Nuit Blanche.Toronto
• 2023 -  Tight Spaces, Nuit Blanche. Toronto
• 2022 - Socotra Tree, Small Arms Inspection Building. Mississauga
• 2022 - FARSH, Nuit Blanche. Toronto
• 2017 - Turmoil, OFF_Festival, European Month of Photography. Slovakia
• 2017 - Rules of Existence, Urban Green: artscarp, Centre3. Hamilton
  
• 2017 - Turmoil, Osaka University of Arts. Osaka
• 2017 - Memories Through Colour, OCAD U. Toronto

Public Art

• Kilim, Overlea Boulevard, City of Toronto - Installation 2025
• Sumac Groves, Main Street Unionville - Shortlisted 2024
• 103A Ave Pedway Edmonton Alberta - Shortlisted 2024 

Grants & Awards

• CIBC C2 Art Prize 2024
• Canada Council For The Arts. Explore and Create, Concept to Realization 2024
• 401 Richmond Career Launcher Prize 2024
• Canada Council For The Arts. Arts Across Canada Travel 2023
• Ontario Arts Council. Visual Artists Creation Projects 2023
• Ontario Arts Council. Market Development Travel Grant 2023
• Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail Audience Choice Award 2023

Artist Residency

• 2025 - Ontario Culture Days
• 2024 - Sari-Sari Xchange, McMaster-York University-Reel Asian.
• 2023 - Sari-Sari Xchange, McMaster-York University-Reel Asian.
• 2023 - CreateSpace, STEPS Public Art, Toronto.
  
• 2023 - New Location, Digital Artist Residency.

Publications & Press

• 2024 - Fieldnotes: STEPS, Web. Link
• 2023 - Reel Asian goes beyond the screen, Foyer, Web. Link
• 2023 - CBC Arts Newsletter, web. Link
• 2023 - All the must-sees at Halifax's Nocturne 2023, CBC, web. Link
• 2023 - Nuit Blanche in Toronto 2023: Tight Spaces, Toronto Scoop, Web. Link
  
• 2023 - Your 2023 Guide to Nuit Blanche, PEGGY, Web. Link
• 2023 - ANNOUNCING THE 2023 RECIPIENT OF THE 401 CAREER LAUNCHER PRIZE: RODA MEDHAT, 401 Richmond, Web.
  
• 2022 - REEL Asian Film Festival, Reel Asian Programme Guide, Toronto.
• 2022 - Nuit Blanche 2022 fills ‘The Space Between Us’ with art,  The Toronto Star, Web/Print, Canada. Link
  
• 2022 -What to see at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche, The Globe and Mail, Web, Canada. Link
  
• 2022 - RAD Magazine photographer, Web/Print, Toronto.
• 2020 - Front cover for Pinstriped Magazine Issue 14; Web/Print, Los Angeles.
• 2017 - Turmoil, International Art Collaboration Catalogue; Osaka, Japan
• 2017 -  41 Artist to watch from the OCADU graduate exhibition, BlogTO, Toronto. 

Artist Talks  & Educator

• 2024 - CIBC Square Artist Talk
• 2024 - STEPS Public Art Forum, Educator
• 2024 - Educator at Youth Public Art Engagement program, Recreate Place, Toronto.
• 2023 - Artist Talk: Creating an appetite for Kurdish Art: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax.
• 2023 - Educator at Youth Public Art Engagement program, Recreate Place, Toronto.
• 2022 - Summer Student Program: OCAD University, Toronto.
• 2021 - Lives of Creatives: OCAD U Alumni Panel, Toronto.
• 2021 - Emerging Creatives Panel: ArtWorksTO, Toronto.

Education

• 2026 - Masters of Fine Arts, University of Guelph; Guelph, Ontario.
• 2023 - Shahrzad Arshadi's Writers Workshop, SoulPepper Theatre, Toronto.
• 2022 - Reel Asian Unsung Voices Program;  Canada.
• 2021 - Certificate in Continuing Studies; OCAD University; Toronto.
• 2021 - ArtWorksTO Next Stream Participant; Toronto.
• 2017 - Bachelor of Fine Arts: Integrated Media, OCAD University; Toronto.
• 2016 - Film Production, FAMU Film and Television School; Prague.

Film Screenings

• 2023 - Dutar, Sinema Akhir Tahun, Surakarta, Indonesia.
  
• 2023 - Dutar, MINIKINO, Bali, Indonesia.
• 2023 - Dutar, Toronto Multicultural Film Festival, Scarborough.
  
• 2023 - Dutar, Kurdish Indepedent International Film Festival, Online.
• 2022 - Dutar, Reel Asian Film Festival, Toronto.
• 2014 - Step of Two, York Region Film Festival, Toronto.
• 2014 - Step of Two, Augmented Cinema Film Festival, Toronto.

Film Credits

• 2024 - Cinematographer and Editor, Mould, Toronto.
  
• 2022 - Director, Writer and Cinematographer, Dutar,  Toronto.
• 2017 - Cinematographer, Hotel Lobby Oyster, Toronto.
• 2016 - First AC, Juneteenth,, Prague.
• 2016 - Assistant Camera, Babuska, Prague.
• 2016  - Sound Recordist, Carrots, Prague.
  
• 2016 - Sound Recordist, FAMU production, Prague.
• 2016 - Sound Recordist, FAMU production, Prague.
• 2016 - Editor/Colour grading, BBC, Reading, UK.
• 2014 - Director, Dance of Two, Toronto.