Kani was born in Persia, 1979. She was raised in a well-educated family in the northern part of Tehran. Her parents had always valued and included art in their lifestyles.
Her serious interest in art began in middle school when she first began to sketch. Along with a group of close friends, she would discover unique locations and local galleries where she would spend time working on her sketches. Upon recognizing her potential as an artist, her parents encouraged her to continue her education at a fine arts high school, where she furthered her skills by enrolling in visual arts classes.
Throughout her teenage years, Kani continued to draw. During this period she developed an interest in abstract and imaginative drawings and truly learned to bring her imagination to life on paper. Following a trip to the U.S. where she was exposed to a very different culture, Kani was inspired to try a new medium of artistic expression and began to paint. Upon her return, she studied Graphic Design at Azad University in Tehran and worked for one of the leading design agencies in Iran. Her painting became the focus once she settled in the U.S. Her primary influences and favorite artists are Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. Kani sees no line between graphic design, painting and art in any form. The play between negative and positive space creates tension and is an integral part in much of her figurative work. She is intrigued by the tension created between positive and negative space, which plays an integral role in her figurative work. Her desire to convey distinct personal sentiments and a serene mood is reflected by her signature style of drawing figures with exaggerated proportions. The expressive colors in her palette compliment these moods and intensify the organic, humanistic motif that is dominant in her work. Kani has been creating images in her current style since 2005 and continues to be collected and appreciated both nationally and overseas.
