Sahar Homami^IR/QC/DE

Sahar Homami (she/they) is an audiovisual artist/programmer, calligrapher and researcher from Tehran, based in Berlin and Montréal. Their background and approach is multidisciplinary and experimental, driven by combining art, technology, philosophy, and mysticism. Their artistic practice assumes different formats while maintaining a strong anchor on storytelling and real-time generative art, calling it live poetic cinema.
Homami’s artistic interest is motivated by great emphasis on concept and content, which goes under critical research. They strive to push the boundaries of perception and consciousness, to expand our art of seeing. To Homami, seeing spans knowledge, art, ethos and politics. The art of seeing is the art of being human.
Their work has been presented at international festivals and conferences including HYBRID-Cutting Edge Canada (2021), MUTEK Montréal (2020), Abuja Art Week (2020), DAVE (2020), Tehran Contemporary Sounds (2019), Summerworks (2018), Berlin Music Video Awards (2018) and Generate!_lab (2018) amongst others.

Photo credit: Cedric Lecat

Sahar Homami ^IR/QC/DE — fanaa

fanaa (فنا‎ fanā) is a mystical concept, meaning "passing away" or "annihilation" (of the self): to die before one dies. This audiovisual journey interweaves elements of Persian calligraphy, mystical philosophy and generative art, entrancing into a poetic journey. Inspired by 12th century Persian-Sufi poet Attar’s book The Conference of the Birds, the story unfolds through four chapters of Arrival, Dissolution, Absolute Nothingness, and Rebirth. fanaa represents a breaking down of the individual ego and a recognition of the fundamental unity of all that exists within the individual self.