Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani
Twin sisters Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani (Iranian, b. 1990) began painting at the age of thirteen. They earned their B.A. in painting from Tehran University and M.F.A from Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani
Currently working and residing in Massachusetts, over the past few years the Safarani sisters took on a journey in incorporating video and performance art into their passion for painting. Their pioneering video-paintings and performances have been acclaimed as thought-provoking and transformative artistic contributions that weave together loose but striking narratives.
Safarani sisters’ artworks are manifestations of their ever-evolving exploration of identity. Through their portraits of each other, they portray a woman’s voyage through life that has taught her to turn every battle into an opportunity for self-knowledge and strength. These are depictions of a woman, who when facing hardship and suffering in life, tries to appease and listen to her inner voice and make her inner universe less affected by the reality of an ugly world outside. Her choice of being dominated by her own self and covered in a buffer of a world of her own making has made her strong, resilient, intelligent, and thoughtful. Through any look that she gives to the audience, she opens a window for the viewer to discover her inner universe. Her gaze penetrates through and shows a glimpse of her inner beauty with a concise, complex, and rich representation. Nonetheless, she has chosen to stay quiet until the right time to rise and take an active role in reaching out to the world through her own voice.
The Safarani sisters’ work has been on display extensively in the United States and internationally in solo and group shows. Their innovative “video paintings” have been acquired by the Peabody Essex Museum and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
