Azar Saiyar CV

filmmaker | visual artist | b. 1979
lives and works in Helsinki, Finland

Awards
AVEK award 2022
Prix du Jury Hybride / Festival Silhouette 2019

Solo exhibitions
Oksasenkatu 11, Helsinki, Finland 11/2022 (feat. Negin Bahadori & Kaino Wennerstrand)
MAA-tila project space, Helsinki, Finland 10/2021
Galleria Forum Box / Mediabox, Helsinki, Finland 06/2018
B-galleria, Turku, Finland 08/2017
Pori Art Museum (Rappu-space), Pori, Finland 02-03/2017
Galleria Rajatila, Tampere, Finland 01/2017
Galleria Huuto, Helsinki, Finland 04/2016
Titanik-galleria (project space), Turku, Finland 01/2014
Galleria Huuto, Helsinki, Finland 01/2014

Selected group exhibitions
Feels Like Home, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma / Helsinki 01/2024-01/2025
The Beginning: A New Abyss, Galleria Huuto / Helsinki 12/2023
as. n:o 57 exhibition of Liikkuva Galleria / Helsinki 11/2023
Otos, jälki, henki, a joint exhibition of Pori Art Museum and Satakunta Museum / Pori 04/2023-01/2024
Between Objects at Helsinki Art Museum HAM, curated by Denis Maksimov / Helsinki 02-05/2022
Mänttä Art Festival, curated by Anna Ruth / Mänttä 06-08/2021
ÖRES 2021 / Örö Island 06-09/2021
As seen on television, curated by Tytti Rantanen, AV-arkki / Helsinki 09-12/2020
While we forget (with Ida Palojärvi and Marja Viitahuhta) at Kurant.-visningsrum / Tromsø, Norway 08/2019
SQUARE (with Edwina Goldstone and Mariam Haji, curated by Sepideh Rahaa), Cultural Centre Stoa / Helsinki 06-08/2019
Inkerö, Saiyar, Takala (curated by Mariliis Rebane) / Tower of Finnish National Museum / Helsinki 05/2019
Huuto oot uuH! / Galleria Huuto, Helsinki 09/2018
Altistuminen (with Marja Viitahuhta) / Galleria Lapinlahti, Helsinki 06/2017
Totuus Suomesta (curated by Porin kulttuurisäätö) / Helsinki/Pori 06,07/2017
Uudelleenjärjestetty (with Ewa Gorzna and Liinu Grönlund, curated by AV-arkki) / Galleria Rajatila, Tampere 03/2015

Selected festivals/screenings
2023 Retrospective screening at Tampere Film Festival (AV-arkki programme)
2022 Berlinale Forum Expanded, Germany / Encounters Bristol, UK / Minimalen, Norway / MakeDox, North Macedonia / Arica Doc, Chile / DokuBaku, Azerbaijan / Flight Film Festival, Italy, Rakkautta & Anarkiaa, Suomi / Beijing International Short Film Festival, China / Frauen Film Festival, Germany / Suspaustas Laikas, Lithuania / 20minimax, Germany
2021 Retrospective screening at Uppsala SFF, Sweden / Message to Man, Russia / Braziers International FF, UK / Environmental FF, Australia / FIFEQ, Canada
2020 Minimalen, Norway / Kinodot, Russia / Lago FF, Italy
2019 DOK Leipzig, Germany / Tallinna Fotokuu, Estonia / Festival Silhouette, France / Moscow International Experimental Film Festival, Russia / Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, France / Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Germany / AGH Film Festival Ontario, Canada / Festival Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2018 Message to Man, Russia / Pori Film Festival, Finland
2017 Message to Man, Russia / Nemaf, South-Korea / Stuttgarter Film Winter, Germany
2016 Signes de Nuit Paris, France / Signes de Nuit Lissabon, Portugal / Viten Film Festival, Norway / Artova Film Festival, Helsinki
2015 Kino der Kunst, Germany / Akbank Short FF, Turkey / Mediawave, Hungary / Neues Museum im Nürnberg, Germany / INVIDEO, Italy / Sleepwalkers, Estonia
2014 Videomedeja, Serbia / Cairo Video Festival, Egypt / HLEF, Finland
2013 Derapage Montreal, Canada / Tampere Film Festival, Finland
2011 Videodumbo, New York, USA / European Media Art Festival, Germany
2010 l´Alternativa, Spain / Loop festival, Spain / Signes de Nuit Paris, France

Works in Collections
Finnish National Gallery / Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
The Helsinki Art Museum HAM
Pori Art Museum

Memberships
AV-arkki – Centre for Finnish Media Art, Galleria Huuto, Kiila, Catalysti, Filmverkstaden

Grants
Currently working with Arts Promotion Centre Finland grant (2024)

Distribution
AV-arkki
Arsenal