Oolalala - artist

Pouyan and Pouyan

Iran - Canada 1980

Immersive experiences have shaped my work as an artist, having been born in Iran, on the 11th of February, 1979: the beginning of The Revolution. The birth was only registered a year later, in 1980. The two birthdays were just the start to my multi-layered existence, one that cannot really be defined. Growing up, the only place to escape from the horrid sounds of the air raids was my own imaginary world that had provided me with relief and inspiration. These early influences played an essential role in the way how I create my art. By the ‘90s, my mother had moved the family to Canada where once again I had found myself being a stranger, an outsider, somebody who does not fit in. After having completed Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia, I had re-located once again, to Toronto to pursue film. Both my academic background as well as my heritage informs the creation of my films, installations, performances and large scale photographs. I often use free association to process the creation and after a while, the work emerges from the deconstructed pieces. The process and the final outcome become one entity; perhaps a part of me on display for the audience to observe and explore. My contemplations revolve around subjects such as sexuality, taboos, darkness, ghosts, marginality and solitude, melancholy and depression. [close]