Biography
Born in 1981, Sara Niroobakhsh is an Iranian-born, Canadian-based multidisciplinary artist and educator with over two decades of experience working across Canada, the U.S., Iran, and the UAE. Currently a Visiting Assistant Art Professor in the Interactive Media program at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), her practice critically examines the intersections of body, time, science, technology, and new media, engaging with the globalizing feminine psyche and the evolving relationship between identity and power.
Sara's body of work navigates themes of bodily autonomy and liberation, challenging societal and cultural constructs that restrict agency. In her LIE project, she explores the radical reconceptualization of the female body as an autonomous engine—freed from societal and cultural impositions—by merging performative elements with technology and bioengineering. This project dismantles ingrained expectations of reproductive and caregiving roles, positioning the body as a site of empowerment and experimentation.
Her groundbreaking project IB: Impossible Baby expands this discourse, investigating the maternal experience through a hybrid bio-cybernetic lens. By implanting an artificial embryo—composed of synthetic biomaterials and AI-powered microchips—within her womb for nine months, the work interrogates notions of human-machine interaction and the convergence of performance, biomedical innovation, and artificial intelligence. It challenges traditional perceptions of motherhood and blurs boundaries between the biological and technological.
Sara's exploration of the feminine experience also finds poignant expression in Lullaby, where she reflects on the intimate yet universal act of care and the fragility of human connections in an increasingly digitized world. Conceptually, the work ties together her investigations into identity, time, and the body, offering a meditative counterpoint to the techno-centric narratives of her other projects.
A passionate educator and thought leader, Sara frequently engages audiences through lectures and discussions. At the Museum of the Future in Dubai, she examined how artificial intelligence is reshaping contemporary art and redefining the artist’s relationship with the human body. At NYUAD, she has spearheaded dialogues on Hacking Reality, Experimental Body, and Motherhood and Its Shadow, fostering critical reflections on the intersections of art, technology, and personal identity.
Sara's contributions extend beyond her studio practice. As Chair of the Exhibition and Performance Committee for the EAI ArtsIT Conference, she has championed spaces for creative exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue. Her work has been supported by significant grants, including the Explore and Create Research and Creation Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts for her project Saffran Diary (2020) and the Visual Artists Creation Project from the Ontario Art Council for Zaghareet (2018).
Her art has been exhibited worldwide in institutions such as the Czech China Contemporary Art Museum in Beijing, South Korea’s CICA Museum, the Spartanburg Art Museum in the U.S., and the Frederick Horsman Varley Art Gallery in Canada. Her practice has also been featured in international publications and media outlets, including BBC and Voice of America.
Sara holds dual MFAs: one in Art and Technology Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and another in Illustration from Tehran University of Art. Through her multidisciplinary practice, she continues to challenge conventional paradigms, blending cutting-edge technologies with deeply personal and universal narratives, pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.
