Sahar Azimi | Artist Statement

Sahar Azimi is an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, painter, photographer, singer, and curator. Born in 1974 and based in Jaffa, his work moves across movement, sound, image, and material—bridging physical and emotional landscapes.

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With a background in contemporary dance and a career spanning over two decades, Sahar has created numerous choreographic works presented on major stages in Israel. As both performer and creator, his movement language draws on intuition, repetition, and emotional memory. He has mentored emerging choreographers, led creation labs, and curated leading dance programs including Machol Acher (Different Dance) and Zirat Machol (Dance Arena) in Jerusalem. Sahar has collaborated with playwrights, directors, and performers in the development of theatrical works that blur the line between choreography and dramaturgy. His movement design for the stage is both visceral and symbolic, earning him the 2024 Golden Hedgehog Award for Movement Design.

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Sahar’s visual arts practice is a multi-layered exploration of resonance, texture, and the human touch. His evolution in the plastic arts spans from the raw immediacy of charcoal and graphite drawings to the rich depth of oil paints and acrylics on canvas and wood. Recently, Sahar has integrated embroidery into his work—a meditative, rhythmic practice that adds a tactile dimension to his visual language. This intersection of fluid paint and structured thread explores the tension between the spontaneous and the deliberate, translating the energy of urban landscapes and sound frequencies into layered, rhythmic textures.

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Sahar’s photography focuses on reflections in water—sea, pools, puddles—where light becomes a storyteller. Through stills and video, he captures an alternate reality revealed in the fractured meeting point between light, movement, and frequency. His images document a world dancing beneath the surface, where time dissolves into shimmering distortion.

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Sahar is the Artistic Director of the Jaffa Artists Residency (JAR) since 2021, where he develops spaces for creation and collaboration across disciplines. He has held leadership roles at major cultural platforms including the Interdisciplinary Arena in Jerusalem, the Curtain Up Festival, and MATAN. His curatorial voice is deeply rooted in community, dialogue, and the power of process.

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As a singer and passionate cook, Sahar channels sensory experience into improvisation. He sings like he paints—textural, emotive, and intuitive—and cooks like composing: blending elements, trusting rhythm, tasting instinct. Both practices nourish his creative life and his connection to others.

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