Founder of fashion brand «Poosh-e Ma», visual artist, and photographer, Farnaz’s vibrant new collection, From Bandar to Berlin, combines traditional Iranian textures with patchwork city aesthetics, stitched together from faraway cultures where she now works.
After fleeing Iran in 2017, escaping a five-year prison sentence for designs deemed «contrary to Islamic morals», she was forced to stay in Turkey for seven years. From a small rural town she commuted to mandatory immigration meetings weekly in Istanbul, requiring permission for all domestic travel while unable to leave due to lack of valid passport. These struggles, alongside denied healthcare access and basic civil and work rights, are common for UNHCR status refugees in Turkey.
In 2024, after almost a year’s work by Artists at Risk (AR) (special mention to Nadja Zdravkova) in collaboration with multiple artists and organisations in France – including multimedia artist Orlan – Farnaz secured safe passage via France’s «Talent Visa» for artists.
Short-term AR-Residencies followed, in partnership with the Association des Centres Culturels de Rencontre (ACCR) in Paris and the Théâtre la Fonderie in Le Mans. However, bureaucratic obstacles made a move to Germany necessary.
We are pleased to announce that our cooperation with the City of Munich has afforded Farnaz legal status and a comfortable 12-month AR-Munich City Residency at HALLE 6.
Later this month, Farnaz will host an event to present her latest collection and a “Talk and Tea” at Aendere.i 3.0, Munich (more details in the photos) – we look forward to seeing you there!
We extend heartfelt thanks to the Munich Department of Arts and Culture for inviting Abdoli and to HALLE 6 for hosting her.
