Sam Shahsahabi was born in Iran. He obtained his BFA from Islamic Azad University (Tehran). In the mid-1990s, Sam’s satirical cartoons gained recognition and were exhibited in international caricature exhibitions such as Nasredin Hodja and Yumiyuri Shimbun. He also worked as a freelance graphic designer and cartoonist for publications. After completing his MFA at York University in Toronto in 2002, he moved to Elliot Lake, Ontario, to start his academic career at White Mountain Academy of the Arts. In addition to his teaching role, he served as the Director and Curator of the James K. Bartleman Art Gallery at the academy.

Since 2009, Professor Shahsahabi has been at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, where he has taught painting and drawing. He also specializes in a wide range of practices, including mechanical installations, performance art, community and public art projects.

Shahsahabi’s artworks are exhibited in Canada, Iran, Turkiye, France and Japan.  In 2016, he was a “K.M Hunter Artist Award Finalist”. For his contributions to higher education and cultural diversity, Sam received the Cultural Educator Award from Thunder Bay Arts & Heritage in 2015. 

Shahsahabi’s multidisciplinary practice is largely informed by his life experiences living in the Middle East and the Americas. Moving to Northern Ontario, the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree and Algonquin peoples, had an immense effect on his practice, which explores various elements of postcolonialism, land exploitation, the politics of knowledge, and the influence of media. In his recent projects, he explores the healing properties of art through the sacred geometry of traditional Iranian art and the purifying qualities of copper alloys. Shahsahabi artworks are held by collectors and Canadian art institutions. His latest piece was commissioned by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery for the Madaabii project.