Arash Akbari
Arash Akbari is a transdisciplinary artist from Tehran, Iran. He investigates the interplay between dynamic art systems, human perception, nonlinear narrative, and the convergence of physical and digital realms. His exploration spans the domains of generative systems, interaction design, immersive technologies, and real-time processing. Approaching the dominant technological paradigm with a critical perspective, he seeks alternative narratives where computational processes and interactive cybernetic systems give rise to concepts, ideas, and questions, eliciting affective personal and social impacts and responses. Akbari directs his experimental practices into audio-visual performances and installations, interactive software, sonic environments, and multisensory experiences.
His work has been presented in different festivals and exhibitions around the world, such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art(USA), Sonic Acts(NL), Geneva International Film Festival(CH), DOK Neuland(DE), Athens Digital Arts Festival(GR), ARS Electronica(AT), Loos Foundation(NL), Recto VRso Festival(FR), Mutek(AE), Simultan Festival(ROU), Uncloud Festival(NL), Light Matter Film Festival(USA), New Media Fest(DE), 3D Web Fest(USA), Cinnamon Colomboscope(LK), Lacuna Festival(IT), Videofenster(DE), and Graphical Web Conference among others. He has released albums on Farpoint Recordings(IRL), Karl Records(DE), Flaming Pines(UK), Unknown Tone Records(USA), Taalem(BE), and Soft Recordings(FR).
He is the co-founder and curator of XOR Space, a hybrid collective space dedicated to post-digital experimental artistic research and practices.
Interests
Critical AI, Ishraqi Philosophy, Post-Digital Philosophy, Generative Art, Immersive Technologies, Interactive Art, Sound Art
Highlights
Sonic Vectors: Possible Parallels Between Quantum Mechanics and Experimental Music in The Post-Digital Age, Posthuman Art Lab
https://www.posthumanart.com/post/sonic-vectors-possible-parallels-between-quantum-mechanics-and-experimental-music-in-the-post-digit
Bec0m1ng: A Speculative Exploration of AI Beyond Cognition and Towards Presence, Posthuman Art Lab
https://www.posthumanart.com/post/bec0m1ng-a-speculative-exploration-of-ai-beyond-cognition-and-towards-presence
Publications and Exhibitions
Selected Exhibitions / Performances
2024 (dis) appearance, A.I installation, Recto VRso, France
2024 Embedded/Embodied, Web-based interactive experience, The Couch Platform HETHEM, Zaandam, the Netherlands
2024 Embedded/Embodied, Sound and AR Installation, Sonic Acts Biennial 2024, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2023 Bec0m1ng, Audiovisual Installation, Studio Loos, Den Haag, the Netherlands
2023 Fanāʾفنا, Interactive Installation, Uncloud Festival, Utrecht, the Netherlands
2023 Imkān امکان, Visual Installation, ZAZ Corner, New York, The US
2023 The Question of Being, AV Installation, Orbit Festival, Utrecht, the Netherlands
2023 Transmutant, AV fixed media, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The US
2022 Time After Time, AV projection mapping, Illuminarium Art Festival, The National Museum Zurich, Switzerland
2022 Infomorph, Interactive VR Installation, Geneva International Film Festival, Geneva, Switzerland
2022 You Are Made of Light, AV projection mapping, kinomurale Festival, Wrocław, Poland
2022 Infomorph, Interactive VR Installation, Open City Documentary Festival, London, England
2022 Cybernetic Realism, Interactive AR Experience, Prince Clause Fund, the Netherlands
2021 Kinesis, AR Sound Installation, Athens Digital Art Festival, Athens, Greece
2021 Maroon, Audiovisual Film, Punto y Raya Festival, Austria
2021 Dromo, Audiovisual Film, Niemuzeum, Poland
2021 Sensorimotor, Interactive AV Installation, Uncloud Festival, Utrecht, the Netherlands
2021 Infomorph, Interactive VR Installation, VR Days, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2021 Infomorph, Interactive VR Installation, DOK Neuland, Leipzig, Germany
2021 Infomorph, Interactive VR Installation, Places VR Festival, Ückendorf, Germany
2021 Forward Slash, Interactive Installation, NOASS, Riga, Latvia
2021 Omnitopia, AR Installation, Lacuna Festival, Lanzarote, Spain
2021 Intra-action, Audiovisual Interactive Installation feat. Farzaneh Nouri, West Den Haag, the Netherlands
2021 Linger, Audiovisual Fixed Media, Videofenster 2021, Cologne, Germany
2021 Obscure, Web VR, Recto VRso, France
2020 Forward Slash, Interactive Installation, Simultan Festival, Timișoara, Romania
Linger, Audiovisual Fixed Media, New Media Fest, Berlin, Germany
Morphosis, A.I Fixed Media, feat. Rojin Sharafi, Rokolectiv Festival, Romania
M.S.L, Data Sculpture, Times Square. New York, US
2019 Emergence v2.0, Visual Installation, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, Australia
Gelim, Generative Installation, LaLaport Yokohama, Japan
PAT-3, Generative Installation, Dong Gallery Taipei, Taiwan
2018 Parallel Persia, Audiovisual Performance with SOTE, Donaufestival, Krems, Austria
Selected Narratives, Audiovisual Performance with Tegh, Tehran, Iran
Audiovisual Performance with Pher, Tehran, Iran
2017 A Piece of Me, Web Art, Athens Digital Arts Festival, Athens, Greece
2016 Gaze, Audiovisual Installation, Colomboscope, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Gaze, Audiovisual Installation, 3D Web Fest, California, US
Untitled, Audiovisual Performance, Tehran, Iran
2015 Gelim, Web Art, Graphical Web Conference, US
2013 Loss, Audiovisual Performance, Tehran, Iran
Flashbulb, Interactive Audiovisual Installation, Tehran, Iran
2012 Evening Silhouettes, Interactive Installation, Tehran, Iran
Selected Discography
2022 Amnestic Continuum, Farpoint Recordings, Ireland
2021 Fragments Of Yearning, Karl Records, Germany
2018 Perpetual, Taalem, Belgium
2017 The Rest Is Silence, Unknown Tones Recordings, USA
2015 Vanishing Point, Flaming Pines, UK
2014 Cracked Echoes, Soft Recordings, France
2013 Elements, Oido Records, Spain
And Still Winter Paints White, Oido Records, Spain
Selected Press, Reviews, Interviews and Publications
Interview: Artificial Acoustemology https://thecouch.hethem.nl/farzane-arash-artificial-acoustemology/
Pursuing intelligent creative systems with Iranian artist Arash Akbari STIR WORLD Magazine
Fragments Of Yearning Review, Wire Magazine
Fragments Of Yearning Review, Boomkat
Sound and Motion: Arash Akbari Bridges Worlds Agora Digital Art
Chrome Plug-In 'Gaze' Turns Your Browser Into a Hallucinogenic Portal Motherboard Vice
Cinnamon Colomboscope: Reflection And Interpretation Roar Magazine
Nine Artists To Look Out For At Cinnamon Colomboscope colomboscope2016
Album review IGLOO Magazine
Album review MUSIC Wont Save You
Album review HEARFEEL
Album review Stationary Travels
Album review Against The Silence (Greek)
Album review Headphone Commute
Album review Ambient Blog
Album review Against The Silence (Greek)
Awards, Grants, Commissions and Residencies
2024 Audio Visual Installation with MIRROR ZONE, art commission by Het HEM for The Couch
2024 Embedded/Embodied, art commission by Re-Imagine Europe, Sonic Acts & Het HEM for The Couch
2023 Sound Laboratory Residency, Foreign Objekt
2021 Amnestic Continuum, The Arts Council of Ireland Fund for publishing
2021 Honourable Mention of Punto y Raya Festival 2021
2020 Cultural and Artistic Responses to Environmental Change, Prince Claus Fund
Publishing /Text
2024 Sonic Vectors: Possible Parallels Between Quantum Mechanics and Experimental Music in The Post-Digital Age, Posthuman Art Lab
2023 Bec0m1ng: A Speculative Exploration of AI Beyond Cognition and Towards Presence, Posthuman Art Lab
2015 A Theoretical Introduction to Generative Art, Software Art, Iranian Academy of Arts, Tehran - Iran
Workshops, lectures
2024 AR and Acoustemology Lecture, Sonic Acts Biennial 2024, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2020 An Introduction to Interactive Art, Inverse School of design, Tehran – Iran