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About

First name

Lili Yas

Last Name

Tayefi

Username

Lili

Studio Name

LYT Studio

City

Calgary

Country

Canada

Biography

Lili Yas Tayefi is an Iranian-Canadian designer, educator, and interdisciplinary artist whose abstract sculptures unearth an intuitive process reflecting her inner emotional and spiritual journey, often exploring themes of femme advocacy, healing, and self-empowerment.

With extensive experience in handcraft and a background in local, biodegradable material science, Lili’s practice, LYT Studio, honours 'feel first' and precision-led philosophies, revealing how they intersect. Her practice incorporates contemporary ceramic sculpture and clay 3D printing, alongside filmmaking, painting, and printmaking. Embedded with duality, Lili's works invite an exploration of identity, intersectional feminism, and the reclamation of her culture.

Over the past 15 years, she has coordinated and curated group exhibitions, and exhibited internationally at notable galleries and museums, including Museo d'Historia de Barcelona, Arts Santa Monica, Contemporary Calgary, the Museum of Contemporary Art Calgary, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, and Caroun Gallery, among others.

Education

School / Course

Postgraduate in 3D Printing in Architecture, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

Graduated

2017

School / Course

Master in Advanced Architecture, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

Graduated

2016

School / Course

Bachelor of Fine Art, Minor in Environmental Design Architecture, University of Calgary

Graduated

2014

Solo Shows

Show Name

Elemental Alchemy

Group Shows

Show Name

Year of the Dragon, Exhibitor, Chinatown, Calgary

Date

2024

Show Name

YES Show, Instructor Exhibiting Student's 3D Printed Works, City Building Design Lab, School of Architecture

Date

2024

Show Name

In This Moment, Exhibitor, Contemporary Calgary Gallery

Date

2022

Show Name

Block Week Exhibition, Instructor Exhibiting Student's 3D Printed Works, City Building Design Lab, School of Architecture

Date

2022

Show Name

Auto-Matic, Exhibitor, Content & Publication, Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona

Date

2018

Show Name

Living (in) Future Cities, Coordinator & Exhibitor, Museu d’Historia de Barcelona

Date

2017

Show Name

Scripts, Assistant Director, Casa Elizalde, Barcelona

Date

2016

Show Name

Digital Matter, Exhibitor, Corretger 5, Barcelona

Date

2016

Show Name

Traces, Exhibitor & Publicatio, Real Círculo Artístico de Barcelona

Date

2015

Show Name

PUSH, Exhibitor, Museum of Contemporary Art, Calgary AB

Date

2014

Show Name

Small Frame Show Auction, Exhibitor, University of Calgary

Date

2014

Show Name

PUSH, Coordinator & Exhibitor, Museum of Contemporary Art, Calgary

Date

2013

Show Name

Connections, Senior Studio Exhibition, Exhibitor, Wunder Gallery, University of Calgary

Date

2013

Show Name

9th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition, Competition Winning Exhibitor, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norton CT

Date

2013

Show Name

Post-Miniature Exhibition, Exhibitor, Little Gallery, University of Calgary

Date

2013

Show Name

Small Frame Show Auction, Exhibitor, University of Calgary

Date

2013

Show Name

Recent Works, Third & Fourth Year Printmaking Students, Exhibitor, The Little Gallery, Calgary

Date

2013

Show Name

Cenera Emerging Canadian Artists Program (ECAP), Exhibitor, The Ranchman’s Club, Calgary

Date

2013

Show Name

Natural Light, Groppes Gallery, Exhibitor, Vancouver

Date

2012

Show Name

Third Year Selected Student Show, Exhibitor, The Alma Mater Society Art Gallery, Vancouver

Date

2012

Show Name

North Shore Art Crawl 2012, Exhibitor, Caroun Art Gallery, North Vancouver

Date

2012

Show Name

Photography Exhibition, Caroun Art Gallery, Exhibitor, North Vancouver

Date

2012

Show Name

Third Year BFA Exhibition, Exhibitor, AHVA Koerner Library Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Date

2012

Show Name

Cenera Emerging Canadian Artists Program (ECAP), Exhibitor, The Ranchman’s Club, Calgary

Date

2012

Show Name

5th CPC Annual Photography Competition/Exhibition, Caroun Art Gallery, Vancouver

Date

2011

Show Name

City of Calgary Young Artists, Winning Exhibitor, Wildwood Community Center, Calgary

Date

2000

Awards & Nominations

Award name

Canada Council for the Arts, Concept to Realization

Year

2024

Award name

Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Film & Video

Year

2024

Award name

Calgary Arts Development, Artist in Residence (Brookfield Properties)

Year

2023

Award name

Calgary Arts Development, Rise Up

Year

2023

Award name

Calgary Arts Development, Independent Artist Grant

Year

2022

Award name

Calgary Arts Development, Artist Development Microgrant

Year

2021

Award name

Canada Council, Explore and Create

Year

2021

Award name

Calgary Arts Development, Independent Artist Grant

Year

2020

Award name

Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Postgraduate Full Scholarship

Year

2016

Award name

University of Calgary, Dean’s list of honors students

Year

2013

Award name

University of Calgary, Jason Laing Scholarship

Year

2013

Award name

University of Calgary, Dean’s list of honors students

Year

2012

Award name

University of Calgary, Jason Laing Scholarship

Year

2011

Award name

University of Calgary, Alexander Rutherford Scholarship

Year

2010

Award name

Westmount Charter School, Honorable Mention in the Arts

Year

2010

Award name

City of Calgary, Young Artists Awards

Year

2000

Jobs & Positions

Company / Organisation

Founder, LYT Studio

From year

2020

Company / Organisation

Pilot Artist in Residence, Brookfield Properties, Calgary

From year

2024

To year

2023

Company / Organisation

Coordinator, 3D Printing in Architecture Post Graduate (3dpa), Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona

From year

2021

To year

2022

Company / Organisation

Sessional Instructor, School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape, University of Calgary

From year

2022

To year

2024

Company / Organisation

Sessional Instructor & Co-Founding Faculty, Bachelor of Design in City Innovation, University of Calgary

From year

2023

To year

2023

Company / Organisation

Sessional Instructor, Object Design & Fabrication, Alberta University of Art & Design

From year

2022

To year

2025

Company / Organisation

Creative Direction & Business Development, MT Arch

From year

2015

To year

2020

Company / Organisation

Events and Exhibition Design & Coordination, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

From year

2018

To year

2017

Company / Organisation

Direction & Curatorial Assistance, Appareil

From year

2018

To year

2017

Company / Organisation

Material Innovation Collab, La Maquina, Noumena

From year

2021

Company / Organisation

Research & Design Intern Community Based Rehabillitation, Students for Development Internship, Sandema, Ghana

From year

2014

To year

2014

Company / Organisation

Co-Founder, Director of Design & Innovation A Little Happiness Foundation Non-Profit, Agra, India

From year

2014

Press & Publications

Publication

Top 40 Under 40

Publication

ArchDaily: TOVA, Spain's First 3D Printed House

Publication

RuMoer 78 Earth

Publication

Programming Material Intelligence

Publication

C-Heads Magazine Feature: Textures of the Earth

Publication

CADA Impact Report: Artist Stories

Publication

Galleries West: Elemental Alchemy by Lili Yas Tayefi, Artist in Residence at Brookfield Properties

Publication

Terraperforma, 3D Printed Earth

Publication

Automated Drawing Machines