Tina in Sexbierum
by Tina Farifteh
About the project
‘Tina in Sexbierum’ tells the story of Tina Farifteh, born in Tehran, Iran, who moved from Amsterdam to the Frisian village of Sexbierum where housing is still affordable. As she repeatedly climbs the Sedyk (or Sea Dike), her meditative ritual, her thoughts wander back to the moment she left everything behind and started a new life. It’s on the Sedyk that her project about uprooting, longing for home, learning a new (cultural) language, transcending geographical boundaries in the search for identity, loss, memories, and love for the landscape takes shape.
Although she had to let go of her plans to return to Iran, she feels emotionally closer to her homeland than ever before. Now, she has all the ingredients to bring this project to life.
BredaPhoto and Prospektor are the producers of this transmedia project. Forhanna provides personal support to the artist Tina Farifteh, enabling her to further strengthen her narratives, focus on expanding channels and platforms where she can present herself in a way that inspires, resonates, and challenges people to think about this important subject.
Her presentation When I Saw the Sun and the Moon at the Same Time will be showcased in the Backer+Rueb Hall at the BredaPhoto Festival 2024, themed ‘Journeys’. This edition centralises physical, psychological, and spiritual travels, fostering growth for the traveler.
When I Saw the Sun and the Moon at the Same Time
A 24-hour journey along the Seedyk (sea dyke) in Friesland in 24 minutes. Tina Farifteh developed the installation specially for BredaPhoto. It is part of Tina in Sexbierum, a transmedia project about displacement, detachment and the simultaneous desire for a home and inability to feel at home in a society that continuously rejects you. Forhanna supported Tina with her project that has been produced by the storytelling production agency Prospektor.
Tina Farifteh is a visual artist who came to the Netherlands from Tehran at the age of thirteen. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 2021 with her project The Flood, which won several prizes, including the Royal Academy Bachelor Award.
Her documentary Kitten or Refugee? was awarded the first prize in the storytelling category at the Zilveren Camera awards in 2024.
Farifteh moved to Sexbierum because she could no longer find affordable housing in Amsterdam. Her friends returned to their hometowns: Voorburg, Sint-Michielsgestel and Krimpen aan de Lek but she could not go back to Tehran. ‘If your way back home is cut off, you might as well go to a random place with a nice name and a beautiful view.’
About the photographer
Tina Farifteh
productions. Her storytelling captivates viewers and resonates deeply with them, regardless of their background.
Project updates
What Forhanna did
type of support:
Production grant
Forhanna supports Tina’s project because it aligns perfectly with Forhanna’s objectives. ‘Tina in Sexbierum’ is not only current and relevant, but also urgent in our modern society, especially concerning refugee experiences. The project reflects previous themes of Tina’s work, but this time she takes an even more personal approach. She reveals her own inner struggle, and Forhanna encourages her to elevate her story to a universal level.
