Maryam Faridani is an Iranian artist currently living in Chicago. By using moving images, installations and performance, she tries to explore how technologies today lead to creation and maintenance of a particular set of social conditions as the environment of that technical system. Humor is an important aspect of her work as she finds it to be an effective way to talk about matters that are usually dark and bitter. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019 and holds a BFA in Theater from the Art University of Tehran.

Fellowship Reflection

Read Maryam’s reflections on her work and experiences during the 2020 Define American artist fellowship.

“Am I late to your country? Because it seems everyone else is leaving. Everyone is taking home their dreams. They all seem tired. But I just got here.”

Ten Questions

We asked each DA Fellow about their lives, favorites, inspirations, and struggles. Read Maryam’s answers.

💻 When you’re having a bad day, what do you do?
⁣I try not to do anything and just lie down and observe my feelings.