Mina Keykhaei (Persian: مینا کیخایی) is a textile artist and researcher based in Tkarón:to/Toronto, working from the position of settler-immigrant on the lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, and the Haudenosaunee. Her practice investigates discarded textiles as sites of embodied knowledge, examining what persists in material when official narratives fail to hold it. Through appliqué, slow stitching, and material transformation, she creates forms that sit with contradiction rather than resolving it.

She holds an MA in Fashion from Toronto Metropolitan University, where her practice in sustainability received the Value Village Sustainable Graduate Award and the School of Fashion Award (2024). Her work has been supported by the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts. Her writing on textile politics has been published in Fashion Studies journal.

CV

EDUCATION

Master of Arts in Fashion, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2022-2024
Toronto, Canada

Bachelor degree in Business Management, Kavian University, 2008-2012
Mashhad, Iran

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION

2026 InSitu: The Storied Edition, CreativeHub 1352, Small Arms Inspection Building, Mississauga, March 5th-7th (forthcoming)

2025 Artist Project, Untapped Juried Competition (selected artist), Better Living Centre, Toronto, Canada

2025 Woven together: Fabrics of Belonging, Artspace Gallery, 401 Richmond St, Toronto, Canada

2024 Tree Installation, Mississauga Festival of Trees, Small Arms Inspection Building, Mississauga, Canada.

2024 Human Condition, Sahar K. Boluki Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2024 Fourth Annual Juried Show of Visual Arts, Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM), Mississauga, Canada.

2024 Maximum Exposure 29, Beyond The Surface, Image Arts Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2017 100 Artists, 100 Artworks Group Exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Mashhad, Iran

2014 Photography Exhibition, Charchoub, Jahad Gallery, Mashhad, Iran

CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE

Curatorial Team Member, Breathe Exhibition, Textile Museum of Canada (2023)

Contributed to 'Rebellion, Rejection and Reconciliation' exhibition, Assembly Gallery, TMU (2024)

Curatorial Team Member and Jury Member, "Charchoub" Student Photography Exhibition, Jahad Gallery, Mashhad, Iran (2014)

GRANTS & AWARDS

Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant (2025)

Tree Installation Grant, Mississauga Festival of Trees, CreativeHub 1352 (2024)

Ontario Arts Council Project Grant (2024)

Value Village Sustainable Graduate Award (2024)
Recognizes outstanding contribution to research and creative work in sustainability.

School of Fashion Award in Sustainable Design, Toronto Metropolitan University (2024)
Awarded for excellence in sustainable design practices.

Ryerson Graduate Fellowship (RGF) (2022)
Recognizes academic excellence awarded to students on a competitive basis.

PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH, AND PRESENTATIONS

Published in Fashion Studies Journal, Volume 5, Issue 2 (2025): "Textile Narratives: Waste as Cultural Archive." Available open access: https://www.fashionstudies.ca/textile-narratives

Accepted presentation: Unravelling Fashion Narratives Symposium, NYC
From Decoration to Narration: The Evolution of Storytelling in Persian Textile Art(2024)

Conducted research on a Persian Theater Banner, contributing to the Textile Museum of Canada's collection and database

Presented a research poster titled 'Sustainable Art & Consumer Behavior Analysis' at the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Sustainable Fashion Conference (2023)

EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES

Arts Educator, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, City of Toronto (2025-Present)

Co-led an exhibition design workshop at the Bata Shoe Museum as part of curation studies (2024)

Co-developed curriculum and facilitated creative printing workshops for teenagers and young adults at Scotiabank Arena (2022)