Aziz Hazara MDSVAD - BNU

Aziz Hazara

Graduation year:   2013

Secures International Awards and Global Critical Acclaim

At Beaconhouse National University’s Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts and Design (MDSVAD), Aziz Hazara cultivated a critical artistic voice that now resonates worldwide. Winning prestigious honors like the Future Generation Art Prize and the Sharjah Biennial Prize, his journey exemplifies BNU’s commitment to fostering transformative talent capable of crossing regional and international borders.

MDSVAD Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts & Design, BNU

From BNU’s Classrooms to the Whitney Biennial and Tate Modern Collections

Today, Hazara stands as a prominent voice in global contemporary art, using moving image, photography, and soundscapes to address complex geopolitical realities. His practice has taken him to the world’s most significant art stages—including the Whitney Biennial, Carnegie International, and Biennale of Sydney—while his work enters prestigious institutional collections such as London's Tate Modern and Rome's Fondazione In Between Art Film. Through major museum exhibitions across New York, Europe, and Asia, Hazara continues to shape international cultural dialogue, serving as a powerful testament to the global reach of BNU’s alumni.

"My experience at BNU was transformative in shaping my artistic practice. Elective courses give students the freedom to explore their creative and intellectual ideas, studio practice lays the foundation for a critical and complex artistic language to be developed alongside peers while students/artists have the opportunity to be mentored by artists and educators of the region and beyond.

One of the most valuable aspects of SVAD is its ability to bring students from across the subcontinent, creating friendships, peer learning and solidarity that last a lifetime."

Career highlights

Major Awards & Recognition

Main prize winner of the 6th Edition of the Future Generation Art Prize by PinchukArtCentre (2021) and recipient of the Sharjah Biennial Prize (2025).

Global Residencies

Selected for prestigious international residencies including Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin, 2022), Colomboscope (Colombo, 2021), Embassy of Foreign Artists (Geneva, 2020), Camargo Foundation (Cassis, 2019), and KHOJ International Artists Association (New Delhi, 2017).

Institutional Collections

Works held in major public and private collections worldwide, including Tate Modern (London), Fondazione In Between Art Film (Rome), Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (New Delhi), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Ghent).

Select Exhibitions & Biennials

A selection of major international exhibitions, biennials, and museum presentations.

Year Exhibition Venue and location
2026–27 Whitney Biennial Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
SculptureCenter Presentation SculptureCenter, New York, USA
Contemporary Calgary Presentation (Upcoming 2027) Contemporary Calgary, Canada
2025 Sharjah Biennial 16 Sharjah, UAE
Stellenbosch Triennale Stellenbosch, South Africa
Institutional Presentation SMAK Ghent, Belgium
Ar/Ge Kunst Presentation Ar/Ge Kunst, Bolzano, Italy
2024 Muqaddimah Experimenter - Colaba, Mumbai, India
A Cosmic Movie Camera (Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement) Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Switzerland
Rhizome – Network Without Center PointKunsthal Aarhus, Denmark
2023 Is It Morning for You Yet? (58th Carnegie International) Pittsburgh, USA
The Political Body MAXXI, Rome, Italy
No Starting Point for Revolution Experimenter - Ballygunge Place, Kolkata, India
Condemnation ICA, Milan, Italy
No Dress Code PSM Berlin, Germany
2022 It’s Only Sound That Remains Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, USA
Penumbra Expanded MAXXI Rome, Italy
Penumbra Fondazione In Between Art Film, Venice, Italy
Language is Migrant (Colomboscope) Colombo, Sri Lanka
2021 Future Generation Art Prize Exhibition PinchukArtCentre, Kiev, Ukraine
Gardens as Thought Form: Lexicons for Revolution Experimenter - Hindustan Road, Kolkata, India
2020 NIRIN (22nd Biennale of Sydney) Sydney, Australia
The upper hand IKOB – Museum of Contemporary Art, Eupen, Belgium
Words at an exhibition (Busan Biennale) Busan, South Korea
Excavating Contemporary Archaeology Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark
No End in Sight Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, New York, USA
Aziz Hazara’s visionary practice, landmark international awards, and profound exploration of contemporary social conditions serve as an inspiring testament to the transformative potential fostered within BNU’s community. From his early studio experimentation at MDSVAD to commanding stages like the Whitney Biennial and Tate Modern collections, his journey highlights how regional roots can drive global influence. Today, as he presents works across New York, Europe, and Asia, Hazara continues to shape critical international discourse, demonstrating the lasting power of an artistic voice nurtured at BNU.

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