About Me

Maryam Rohani Vakili was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1974. Due to societal circumstances, she could not pursue higher education after high school. In 1999, she immigrated to the United States, focusing on building a new life and raising a family. While these years brought joy, her deeper calling for creative expression emerged later, following a life-altering diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. This turning point led her to leave her previous career and pursue her long-held dream of returning to school.

Maryam earned her Associate of Arts degree from Pierce College in 2020, a Bachelor of Arts in Art in 2023, and a Master of Arts in Visual Arts in 2025, both from California State University, Northridge.

Her multidisciplinary practice includes painting, ceramics, and sculpture. Drawing deeply from Persian cultural traditions, personal memories, and everyday objects, Maryam creates immersive reflections on transition, memory, and belonging. Her work often features symbolic elements, such as shoes and architectural forms, as visual metaphors for displacement, poverty, gender inequality, and the silencing of marginalized voices.

Maryam's art has been featured in numerous groups, juried, and solo exhibitions. Working primarily by hand, she embraces clay's organic and imperfect nature to reflect human vulnerability and strength. Her practice embodies a spirit of endurance and transformation, using adversity as a catalyst for meaningful expression. She seeks to inspire new perspectives, foster inclusivity, and engage audiences in thoughtful dialogue around contemporary issues through her work.