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Bita Ghezalayagh (b. 1966, Florence) was born in Italy, in 1966 to Iranian parents. Shortly after, her family moved to Tehran in 1968. In 1984, she left for Paris to study architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-La Villette and returned to Tehran in 1994 where she worked in building restoration and interior design, most notably contributing to the restoration of the building of the Association of Iranian Calligraphers in Tehran. During the 1990s, she was also a collaborating art director on three Iranian films, including "The Pear Tree" ("Derakhte Golabi", 1998) by Dariush Mehrjui.
Returning to Iran in the late 1990s, Ghezelayagh began working in the traditional craft of felt-making while developing her passion for turning traditional techniques into a modern mode of artistic expression. Within their literal ‘threads of connection,‘ her pieces explore notions of belonging that are both collective and personal.
Ghezelayagh had notable solo exhibitions at the Aga Khan Centre, London (2020), Leighton House Museum, London (2018), Asia House, London (2017); the Collins Gallery, Glasgow (2009-2010), and Rosa Issa Projects, London (2009).
Recent group shows include; Richard Saltoun Gallery, London (2023), Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London (2023); Zuleika Gallery, London (2020); Sharjah Museum of Contemporary Art, UAE (2014); The Herbert Gallery and Museum, Coventry (2013); Jameel Prize exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, (2011) touring to the Institute du Monde Arab, Paris (2011-12), the Casa Arabe, Madrid (2012), the Cantor Arts Centre, Stanford, (2012-13) and the San Antonio Museum of Art (2013); Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia (2010-11) the Beirut Exhibition Center (2011) and Al Bastskiya, Art Dubai (2010) and the Khaneh Honarmandan (House of Artists), Tehran (2007).
Her works are included in prestigious institutional collections such as the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh; The Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario; the British Museum, London; the V&A, London; the Farjam Foundation, Dubai; and the Devi Art Foundation, Delhi. She currently lives and works in London.