From Precision Medicine to Painting and Printmaking

Watching Nazanin Towhidkhah stretch a canvas in her studio at VCUarts Qatar, it’s hard to believe that just two years ago, this painting and printmaking sophomore was preparing her research paper in microbiology. 

So what made Towhidkhah, who was born and raised in Iran, switch tracks and pursue an undergraduate degree in the arts?

She says, “I always loved and appreciated art, even from a very young age. However, I wasn’t brave enough to choose it as a career path. I was what you would call a ‘good student’ in school and followed the conventional path of studying the sciences at University. I studied microbiology at the undergraduate level at the Azad University in Tehran. And then, for my Masters, I chose to study Genomic Medicine at Queen Mary University of London. 

“While studying in London, COVID-19 hit. That’s when reality hit. As well. One day, I was frantically walking back and forth in my small living room, isolated from the whole world. I questioned all my life decisions. I realized how short life was and that we only live once. 

“I vividly remember that moment. It was like I was suddenly hopeful and courageous. With this newfound courage and hope, I thought to myself: ‘I don’t know where, and I don’t know how, but I am going to study art’. I knew that I had one lifetime to do what I’m passionate about, what makes me content, and what gives me peace. Right then and there, I promised myself to study arts after I graduated.”

After completing her post-graduate studies in London, she started applying to universities, such as Middlesex University in Dubai and others in the UK, to study fine art. During that period, she traveled to Doha for a holiday and to experience the culture. Then, in her own words, she “fell in love with the country”. 

Now she had two aims in life – to study fine art, and live in Qatar. When she returned home to her native Iran, she researched the possibilities of combining the two. And that’s when she discovered VCUarts Qatar. Her years of “soul-searching seemed to lead to that point”.

Today, a year-and-a-half into her studies, Towhidkhah says “it’s a dream come true.”

She says, “Painting has been my passion for a very long time. During the foundation year, we were introduced to the other programs that VCUarts Qatar offered. But my heart was set on painting and printmaking.”

According to her, the program debunked a few myths she’d heard about fine art in the wider community.

She says, “A widespread assumption is that a program such as painting and printmaking is solely about painting. Nothing could be further from the truth; it’s an entirely different universe with endless possibilities, from sculpting to digital art and much more. Now that I am in this major, I see how experimental this pathway can be. It’s amazing how our professors push us to experiment with different materials and different ideas. And to me, that is wonderful. Opportunities to experience, experiment and be mentored by incredible faculty are rare, and I feel blessed to be able to experience this here.”

And, she’s discovered ways to combine her previous studies in microbiology with art. 

She says, “I don’t intend to abandon the knowledge and skills I worked years to acquire. For instance, I love incorporating my culture and my background into my art. In one of my projects, I decided to work with photos of my mother in a surgical operating room. I decorated it with patterns and motifs that are inspired by old Persian patterns and carvings.”