Sahar Ghavami

Sahar Ghavami is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist based in Dubai, working primarily through painting, drawing, and immersive visual storytelling. Her work engages personal narrative as a method of constructing shared symbolic codes, while concepts of memory, protection, vulnerability, and decentralized agency expand her creative focus. Across her practice, Ghavami develops multidimensional environments populated by human and non-human protagonists, often positioned within relational dynamics that question hierarchy, care, and coexistence.

Her practice can be positioned within a contemporary lineage of narrative-driven figuration, where painting functions as a site for alternative relational orders. Her work resonates with post-surreal and neo-symbolist approaches, reframing the subconscious through intimate, often domesticated scales rather than monumental registers.

Animals appear in her works as recurring figures, shifting between roles of guardian and dependent, reflecting cyclical relationships of care and vulnerability. Rendered in vivid palettes, they are often depicted in naturalistic colors and recognizable anatomies, yet their presence evokes visual traditions associated with Superflat and kawaii aesthetics: flattened forms, gentle exaggeration, and a deliberate disarming quality. This visual language operates as a threshold, inviting viewers into worlds that appear accessible, while sustaining complex emotional and cultural meaning systems beneath the surface.

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“Whether the art gets darker or it gets softer, it was always a way to express myself. For me, it was a way of existing. I had to fight back, and I had to find a voice. That’s why my practice is always personal.”

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