The Puppet Dance

Safarani Sisters

The Puppet Dance is a large-scale artwork that combines painting with layered animations projected back onto the painting. This artwork bridges between classical painting and performing art. The artwork depicts a paper doll puppet of a woman learning how to dance on a highwire, controlled by the hands of her puppeteer.

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(Iranian, b. 1990) Twin sisters Bahareh and Farzaneh began painting at the age of thirteen. They earned a B.A. in painting from Tehran University and, upon graduating, came to the U.S. to further their art education at Northeastern University. Currently working and residing in Massachusetts, the Safarani sisters further collaborated on incorporating video and performance art into their passion for painting. They garnered attention from their performances and video-paintings that weave together loose but striking narratives. Together their works serve as an exploration of their identity and as studies on finding beauty in drama. The Safarani sisters have shown their work 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