Dorian Sari

Dorian Sari was born in 1989 in Izmir, Turkey. They obtained a Masters in Visual Arts from the Institut Kunst, Basel in 2016 and a Bachelor in Visual Arts, option Sculpture, from HEAD Geneve in 2012. They also have a degree in Political Science and Languages (Swedish & Italian) from the University Sorbonne (Paris IV) and a B.A. in Greek Literature from University Sorbonne (Paris IV). Sari lives and works between Basel and Geneva. A keen observer of politics, emotions and social movements, the study of human nature and cultures is at the centre of Sari’s work. In their installations, they transform personal and collective mythology into completely fictional, theatrical and cinematographic scenes based on the psychoanalytic interpretation of human and their symbols. They create a universe with a multitude of narratives, usually in the form of sculpture, but sometimes also as video projections. By means of materials found on the street, they undertakes a sublimation of reality. The transfer of their observations into materials includes certain ceremonial rituals in the production process. With the language of poetic symbols, the sculptures tell a story and draw parallels of communication between the conscious and the collective subconscious. Sari combines rational scientific research with metaphysical methods. Their work focuses on current events and action based on their multidisciplinary background and artistic vision. In 2020, Sari received the Manor Kunstpreis and the Swiss Performance Art Award. They also received the Swiss Art Awards and the Kunstkredit Prize in 2019 and the Kiefer Hablitzel Art Prize of the Swiss Art Awards in 2018. In 2021, they had a solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel Gegenwart (Basel, Switzerland). Other recent exhibitions include solo shows at Wilde (Basel, Switzerland), Centre Culturel Suisse Paris (France) and Kunst(zeug)haus Rapperswil (Switzerland).