Renowned Safarani Sisters use Epson Technology to Blend Motion Projection with Still Art for Striking Narratives and Thought-Provoking Pieces

Twin visual artists, Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani, explore the marriage of video and performance art with their passion for painting. Blending motion projection with traditional still art, the Safarani sisters transform dramatic art pieces into innovative, emotional “video paintings.” Their latest work, on display at the Adelson Cavalier Galleries in Palm Beach, Fla., uses five Epson® LightScene® accent lighting and five PowerLite® 1785W projectors to elevate the emotion and elegance already present in their art.

“We give life to our artwork by creating classical paintings augmented with video projections that elicit our underlying themes of identity and beauty,” said Farzaneh Safarani. “We had a great experience with Epson projectors during ILLUMINUS in Boston and want to explore using the technology to add subtle motion projections to our artwork without overpowering the paintings.”

Artistic Exploration Through Projection

Born and raised in Iran, the Safarani sisters were always intrigued by the arts, opting to draw or color rather than play with toys throughout their childhood. At the age of 13, their parents enrolled them in their first art class to hone in on their artistic talent. The sisters majored in painting at the University of Tehran prior to moving to the United States to earn their MFA in Studio Art at Northeastern University.

While studying at the University of Tehran, the sisters explored the use of different forms of art. They began to create their own videos to incorporate into paintings as a way to explore their identity as Iranian women and study finding beauty in drama.

The Safarani sisters have always looked for cutting-edge technology to transform traditional still artwork into engaging video paintings. After working with Epson at ILLUMINUS in Boston, they recognized the powerful projectors to be a natural fit for their transformative artistic journey. For their latest video painting series, the Safarani sisters leveraged 10 Epson projection solutions to illuminate their ever-evolving exploration of identity – both as twins and individuals.

The Safarani sisters’ “Breathing Pictures” exhibit portrays a woman’s voyage through life, highlighting moments that have taught her to turn every battle into an opportunity for self-knowledge and strength. The series depicts 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 ugly reality of the world.

“After working with the Safarani sisters at ILLUMINUS, we wanted to continue to support their pioneering video paintings as they experiment with motion projection to produce striking narratives,” said Remi Del Mar, senior product manager, Epson America, Inc. “Video is a crucial element in their artwork as it further evokes the emotion of their thought provoking and transformative installations. We are excited to provide the technology that enables artists to execute their vision and push artistic boundaries in creative and disruptive ways.”

The “Breathing Pictures” exhibit is open to the public and will run through Feb. 29, 2020 in the Mezzanine Gallery at the Adelson Cavalier Galleries in Palm Beach, Fla.

About Safarani Sisters

Bahareh and Farzaneh Safarani are Iranian collaborator twin visual artists who live in Massachusetts and are known primarily for their innovative video-painting and video-performance arts. The two sisters make dramatic compositions of themselves as the subjects to explore the sense of self in relation to the other. The Safarani sisters choose to incorporate particular themes and symbols in their work. A major theme that the sisters address is one of identity — as twins, as individuals.  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.