Meet the Multidisciplinary Artist

Negin Keyhanfar is a multidisciplinary artist, production designer, and filmmaker who was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to the United States in 2015. Negin began her academic cinema education in 2006 at the Art University of Tehran where she completed her Bachelors in Directing. During her four-year degree, she wrote, produced, and directed three short films which were officially selected by several international short-film festivals. After graduation, she worked as a writer, production designer, concept artist, and costume designer for various short film projects, theater, music videos and media projects.

Born and raised in an artistic family, she experimented with different avenues of creativity. She wouldn't hesitate to alter any kind of material that she could use to create something unique. Stories are her main inspiration. The labyrinthine shape of myths and fictions become a visual inspiration for creating art, and she tends to make sculptures that require the audience to rotate the piece to explore its hidden sides. There, their mysteries can be found! Her passion to learn new skills and art techniques is endless. Mastering a skill is the constant challenge she sets for herself.

As a passionate storyteller, she believes that every person and thing in the world has a unique story to tell. This is why she is always on the lookout for new, innovative, and creative ways to engage and interest audiences. After much experimentation, it was at the University of Tehran that she discovered her love for sculpting dolls as a unique storytelling technique. Over the years, she has learned how to express raw themes and human emotions through her creations.

Her first short film, “The Toymaker’s Winter” was shown at Lodz International Short Film Festival in Poland, 2007. The film tells the story of a toy maker who longs for his toys to become animate and journey outside the confines of his house, never realizing that he is a toy himself, with a false perception of the reality that traps him. Years later, she was devastated to find the film's props destroyed by time and neglect and she decided to give her dolls a new identity.

She took her collection of dolls to the United States in 2015. On a 28-hour flight from Iran to Houston, Texas, she read the book “The Conference of the Birds”, composed by Persian poet, Farid Ud-din / Attar. The story of the birds' journey to see their god inspired the most ambitious project of her life.

The Land of Oorab is a multimedia storytelling art project consisting of thirty-one intricate custom-made characters, The Oorabies. A trilogy of novelettes tell of their life stories, their journey to the tree of Houm in the land of Oorab, and their journey to Earth, where they help a man, Dastan, along his mystical, adventurous journey.


She is an avid collector of miniature items, antique fabrics, jewelry pieces, fine threads and lace, beads, and yarn, anything that could belong to a small character could possess. She sculpts the faces, hands, and other parts of her characters with paper clay or papier mache on wire armature. Their costumes are hand sewn and if she can’t find the pattern that she wants, she prints and colors the fabric to match her need.

Having spent over 15 years in film production, Negin has developed great attention to detail. Time and again, she has been commended for her imagination, color harmony, and knowledge of mediums and techniques. Her perfectionism has been acknowledged and appreciated time and again, which is why she is persistent and motivated in everything she does. In fact, unfinished projects are perhaps one of her greatest pet-peeves.

She now lives and works in New York City as a freelance concept artist, art teacher, production designer, and costume designer. She also finds time to work on independent projects. She meditates and practices yoga and she runs to nature when the city becomes overwhelming. She enjoys practicing piano, cooking for the enjoyment of others, and the feeling of paper on her fingers while reading books.

This website is currently under construction. More information and content will be provided gradually. Stay tuned!