A.F: Being able to work so closely together and share this part of our lives is truly something beautiful. Over the years, we have developed a common language while still bringing our different perspectives, experiences, and ideas into our projects. Our work outside our artistic practice also gives us valuable insights and new ways of seeing the world, which in turn enrich our art.

Creating is as natural to us as breathing. We just do it. Our work is political, but so is everything we do. We choose to use our voices to create work that can offer people a different perspective and a deeper understanding of women’s rights in Iran.

O.H: While we both have jobs alongside our artistic practice, we have found ways to balance the two. Working together with the person you love and being able to share both the challenges and the joys of the creative process is incredibly intimate and something we deeply value. We are constantly prioritizing, and it can be puzzling to put all the pieces together, but it becomes more possible when you are two. 

K.Z: Last year, which I regretfully missed, you brought your art into people’s homes for a series of “One Night Exhibition.” I love it as a concept. How did that idea come about, and what are some of the takeaways?

A.F: The idea for Hemma hos dig. One Night Exhibition emerged during our residency at Villa San Michele on Capri in 2024. We had been reflecting on how our work is often presented within established art institutions, while the stories we tell are deeply rooted in everyday life, private spaces, and personal experiences. We started asking ourselves: what would happen if the exhibition itself moved into those spaces?

Throughout modern Iranian history, the home has been both a place of freedom and a place of resistance, a space where conversations, organizing, and cultural expression have continued despite political limitations. Outside the home, there is greater control and insecurity imposed by the regime. Because our work explores the lives of women in Iran, the home, as a place to gather, meet, and experience art, felt especially meaningful. Bringing the work into people’s homes created a dialogue between the themes of the exhibition and the setting in which it was experienced. In a gallery, visitors often move through a space anonymously, but in someone’s living room, people stay longer, ask questions, share personal stories, and engage with each other. The boundaries between artist, host, and audience become less defined.

We were also surprised by how much the artworks changed from one home to another. Every apartment brought its own atmosphere and history. Rather than treating the exhibition as a fixed installation, we began to see it as something living and responsive to its surroundings. That experience reinforced our belief that art does not need to be confined to traditional exhibition spaces to create meaningful encounters. In many ways, the project reminded us that some of the most powerful conversations happen around a kitchen table rather than inside a white cube. Meeting people in their homes and getting to know them was a much more intimate and relaxed experience. It allowed us to invite people into our artistic practice in a different way and create deeper conversations.

K.Z: Where do you see your practice heading from here? In connection with the exhibition at Fotografiska Stockholm, you presented a performance, which I believe was a first for you both, wasn’t it?

O.H: We will continue. Atoosa said in an interview earlier this year that we will do this until we die, and that is true. Haha. There are two interconnected parts to this project: the artistic practice itself and our ongoing work of documenting and archiving women’s history in Iran. Both continue to grow and inform one another.

A.F: During our performance at Fotografiska, on the opening day of the exhibition, we wanted to invite the audience into our creative process and allow them to experience how we work as a duo, because it is something people are often curious about and frequently ask us about.

We wanted to open up the process and share the feeling of intimacy that comes with creating together. There is something very specific and powerful about making art in a room with an audience. Art is often created in private and only later presented in museums, galleries, or public spaces. We wanted the audience to be present in the moment with us and experience everything that comes with it.

The performance also became a way of creating a more direct encounter between the audience and the stories we work with. It allowed us to transform the exhibition space into a place for reflection, participation, and dialogue.

O.H: We will continue to develop the performative aspect of our practice. Our work exists at the intersection of different disciplines, and as artists, we are constantly curious about exploring new layers and new ways of engaging with and understanding our material. As our archive expands and our body of work grows, we become increasingly interested in how different forms, materials, and artistic approaches can create spaces for reflection, connection, and conversation. We are excited by what happens when a work moves beyond a static form and becomes something that can be experienced collectively, in real time.