We were lucky to catch up with Ainaz Alipour recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ainaz, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I began my practice with a foundation in studio art, video animation, and digital art, but my evolution as an artist has been deeply intertwined with my cultural heritage. Growing up Iranian and connecting with local sewing crafts and embroidery techniques from northern Khorasan, I developed a passion for working with textiles and soft sculpture. These crafts, which are often passed down through generations of women in my culture, became not only a technical foundation but also a way for me to explore themes of cultural representation and power dynamics.

The most essential skills for me have been adaptability and experimentation. Working across diverse media—from fabric to VR—requires a willingness to embrace trial and error. Learning to push the limits of what fabric and digital media can do together has been critical to the projects I’ve developed, especially when crafting detailed, intricate textile pieces that require a mix of patience, design, and technical precision.

The biggest obstacle has often been access to resources—whether it’s funding for digital tools or finding the right materials for my textile work. There’s also been a challenge in balancing traditional Iranian crafts with the demands of contemporary digital art, as these two worlds don’t always speak the same language. Yet, it’s that very tension that has driven me to find new ways of combining them, pushing my practice in exciting directions.

Ainaz, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Ainaz, an Iranian artist living in the USA, with an MFA in studio art, video animation, and digital art. My work explores the intersection of textile art, digital media, and cultural identity. Coming from a background where crafts, especially embroidery and textile-making, are deeply rooted in women’s traditions, I’ve woven that heritage into my art, using local sewing techniques from northern Khorasan to craft soft sculptures and textile installations. At the same time, I also work in virtual reality, video, and interactive media, creating immersive experiences that bridge traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge digital tools.

My artistic practice revolves around creating multimedia works, often large-scale textile installations and digital projects that focus on themes of care, community, and representation. I am especially drawn to depicting the dynamics of bodies and how cultural representation can challenge or reinforce power structures, particularly for marginalized communities like Iranian women. One of my ongoing projects incorporates old Iranian family films into textile pieces and digital media, where I blend collage, sewing, and fabric techniques to create intimate, detailed images that tell stories of women’s strength and tenderness.

What sets my work apart is this fusion of the tactile, intimate nature of textiles with the expansive potential of digital media. I aim to create experiences that invite viewers to reflect on their own cultural narratives while immersing them in the complex beauty of handmade crafts and modern technology. This combination allows me to approach heavy themes—such as the politics of bodies, colonial histories, and the misrepresentation of marginalized people in Western media—through the soft, familiar textures of fabric and digital storytelling.

I’m particularly proud of my work Slap-Eaters, which is currently on view at the Ringling Museum of Art as part of Skyway 2024: A Contemporary Collaboration. In this installation, I used soft sculptures that mimicked limb-like forms and incorporated a single-channel video projected onto the gallery walls. The project was immersive, allowing viewers to physically engage with the space while being surrounded by moving imagery. By combining textile works with digital video, I was able to create a dialogue between the physical and digital, highlighting themes such as colonial histories of representation and the dynamics of marginalized bodies. This piece challenges how bodies are depicted in Western art, particularly BIPOC subjects, while offering a more intimate, playful, and powerful reimagining of these representations.

For potential clients and followers, I want them to know that my work isn’t just about creating beautiful objects but about starting conversations and engaging with the stories that fabric and digital tools can tell together. Whether I’m working on a textile installation or an immersive digital experience, I strive to create pieces that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. My hope is that my work offers viewers a space for reflection, connection, and a deeper understanding of the cultural and political forces that shape our world.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, a key mission driving my creative journey is the desire to explore and express the complexities of identity, particularly through the lens of cultural intersection and immigrant experience. As an Iranian artist living in the USA, I constantly navigate between two cultural worlds, and much of my work is about making sense of that tension, transformation, and discomfort.

Through one of my recent projects like MoAserat, I aim to create immersive experiences that invite viewers to engage with the fragmented, multifaceted nature of transnational identity. My work is not just about representing my own experience but about challenging the broader narratives around marginalized bodies and cultures, particularly those often misrepresented in Western media.

I’m driven by the power of art to foster dialogue, create empathy, and generate understanding across cultures. I see my work as an act of care—both toward my own heritage and to the communities I aim to represent. I hope to create spaces where viewers can reflect on their own cultural narratives while connecting with the broader themes of displacement, belonging, and transformation. Ultimately, my goal is to use art as a medium for storytelling and representation, giving voice to experiences that are often overlooked or misunderstood.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the most defining aspects of my journey—and one that deeply illustrates my resilience—has been my experience as an immigrant. Moving to the USA from Iran was a thrilling and transformative chapter in my life, but it also came with layers of complexity that I wasn’t fully prepared for. The excitement of new opportunities, new cultural landscapes, and the potential to grow as an artist was always present. However, the emotional and psychological toll of navigating two different worlds and living in a second language presented challenges that were often invisible to those around me.

Immigration, for me, has been an ongoing process of transformation. It’s exciting to be able to redefine yourself in a new environment, but it’s also disorienting to constantly adapt and negotiate between two cultural identities. Every day, I move between the familiarity of my Iranian roots and the demands of American society. It’s not just about language or geography; it’s about constantly toggling between different sets of expectations, values, and emotional spaces.

I explore this duality in my work through a dialogue between tangible materials, like fabric, and digital media. In my studio practice, I use textiles—especially soft sculptures made from fabric—as a physical representation of the body, its transformation, and its constant state of flux. These fabric forms, often inspired by traditional Iranian embroidery techniques, embody the tactile, intimate aspects of identity and culture. On the other hand, the digital elements, such as video and virtual reality, represent the less tangible, more fluid aspects of identity—the parts that are constantly shifting and evolving, much like my experience of living between two cultures.

This combination of fabric and digital media allows me to communicate the complexity of transnational identity. The softness and familiarity of the fabric offer a sense of grounding, while the digital elements—such as distorted video projections—add a layer of ambiguity and disorientation, reflecting the challenges of navigating between different cultural systems. Together, these mediums create a space where viewers can engage with the fragmented, multifaceted nature of immigrant life, mirroring my own experience of balancing between two worlds.

Immigration, in its complexity, is ultimately a story of resilience. It’s about embracing uncertainty, finding strength in moments of discomfort, and constantly evolving as you navigate new realities. For me, this journey has fueled my creative practice and allowed me to approach my work with both excitement and depth, knowing that my art holds a space for all the complexities that come with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AinazAlipour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ainaz_alipour/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ainaz.alipour.3/

Image Credits

Ainaz Alipour