Nooshin Rostami Illuminates the World Through Art and Collective Healing
Photo: Nooshin Rostami’s visionary art transforms perceptions, blending light and space into immersive experiences that inspire profound empathy and collective healing.
Exploring Light, Shadow, and Community Transformation
Nooshin Rostami redefines artistic success, utilizing light and community-building to foster empathy, healing, and collective liberation through innovative art and immersive experiences.
Nooshin Rostami is a visionary whose artistry transcends boundaries—both literal and conceptual. Her journey, which began in Tehran and led her to New York City, is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of creativity to heal and transform. From immersive art installations to handcrafted sculptural lenses that harness the infinite possibilities of light, Rostami’s work is a study in curiosity and a celebration of the ephemeral. She invites us to pause, reflect, and reimagine the world around us through light, shadow, and the delicate interplay of space.
What sets Rostami apart is not only her mastery of diverse mediums but her ability to reframe artistic success as something deeply rooted in community, connection, and purpose. In her career, she has moved beyond the traditional confines of the art world and embraced her role as a facilitator of collective harmony—blending her artistic vision with her entrepreneurial spirit. Through Building New Bonds, the initiative she co-founded in 2023, Rostami is redefining creative collaboration, offering immersive sound and light experiences that inspire both human connection and organizational transformation. Her work, whether in the studio or the community, reflects a profound commitment to fostering empathy, healing, and shared liberation.
In this exclusive interview with WOWwART magazine, Rostami opens up about her meditative practices, resourceful approach to art-making, and the inspiration behind her luminous creations. She unpacks the ways in which cultural immersion, curiosity, and her ever-evolving relationship with light inform her practice, presenting an artistic philosophy that is as poetic and profound as the work itself. Prepare to be inspired by the story and vision of an artist who uses creativity as a compass for personal and collective transformation.
How do you see the role of light, shadow, and reflection evolving in your work, and what drew you to explore these elements as primary components in your creative process?
I am a hunter, with light as my chase.
I am a poet, with light as my verse.
I am a student, with light as my guru.
I am a magician, with light as my illusion.
I am a warrior, with light as my shield.
I am a healer, with light as my remedy.
I am a lover, with light as my muse.
One day, sunlight reflected from sculptures in my studio onto the wall, mirroring some ink drawings I had previously done. This sparked my curiosity about light, shadows, and reflections. Light’s fluid, immaterial, and ephemeral nature captivated me, and it’s been a continuous source of inspiration ever since.
“I am a hunter, with light as my chase.” –Nooshin Rostami
Your artistic journey has included working in various cultural contexts and settings, from the US to India and beyond. How have these diverse experiences influenced your approach to art and the themes you choose to address?
Experiencing different cultures has expanded the horizon of what’s possible in life and art, broadening my perspective. Each place I’ve lived and worked has offered unique wisdom, shaping me as an artist and a person.
In the U.S., I built a strong foundation for my practice, with access to a vibrant community of artists and ample resources. Mexico brought me closer to the sun and oddly connected me to my hometown, Tehran, through its poetry, history, and cultural richness. Living in India deepened my understanding of time and human perception, and made me curious about chess.
Can you tell us more about the daily rituals and meditative practices you engage in to foster creativity? How do these practices inform the themes or techniques in your artwork?
The first hour between dream and waking world is sacred to me and I keep it untouched by capitalism or social media. I wake my system up with care and love, preparing for the day with intention. I drink warm water while writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness—not a diary, but an exercise in reflecting on the landscape of my inner world. Other times I meditate, do vocal toning, and exercise.
These self-care rituals are the bedrock of my creative life. Visions from my meditations often inspire drawings or paintings guiding me to get playful in the studio.
Building New Bonds aims to create a more harmonious workplace culture. What inspired you to start this initiative, and how does it intersect with your values and goals as an artist?
After years of nurturing a career in the art world, I questioned the pursuit of a full-time artist’s life. The endless cycle of exhibitions, residencies, and grants had once defined success for me, but that image began to feel hollow. To keep that status quo I took on multiple roles as an adjunct teacher and a freelancer. This juggling act ultimately led to a feeling of burnout. I wanted a professional world that values human connection over hyper-individualism. The need to resist burnout culture led me to redefine my journey.
In 2023, I co-founded Building New Bonds (BnewB) with my partner of nineteen years, Mani Nilchiani. We set out to create a new world of art that fully embodies every part of us—artist, teacher, designer, chess player, performer, light player, warrior, musician, technologist, and activist—all united on one path of deep healing and collective liberation.
Reflecting on your journey, you mentioned resourceful thinking and community building as essential skills. How have these skills shaped specific projects or collaborations in your career?
While capitalist culture promotes the mindset of “more is better,” I see the perspective of “sufficiency and resourcefulness” as an antidote to greed. Ingenuity and adaptability with materials, space, time, and energy are our keys to a brighter climate future. When starting a project, I ask, “I wonder if I already have what is needed?” This question encourages me to make the most of what’s accessible, helping me bring many projects to life and sustain my creative career.
Community building also has been central to my journey. Recently, I collaborated with a glassmaking collective to address the censorship of a Palestinian artist, which had hurt and divided many. When the glassmaking organization offered me a show after the censorship, I chose to exhibit on the condition that the excluded words be incorporated into my piece. My installation served as a platform for accountability, reopening conversations, and encouraging the organization to take material actions toward healing their community.
How has the shift in your career focus, from solely pursuing traditional art exhibitions to fostering collective healing through art, impacted your perspective on success as an artist?
I once measured peak success as having my art collected by renowned figures and shown in prestigious museums. Though these are valid measures of success, they focus on outcomes, feeding the ego rather than broader purpose.
Shifting toward collective liberation reshaped my vision of success. I began to ask: How can the art-making process itself be healing? How can art contribute to climate justice? How can creativity inspire empathy? Through Building New Bonds, success centers on cultivating harmony and connecting people through art.
Headshot
Nooshin Rostami’s artistry radiates brilliance, capturing the ethereal interplay of light, reflection, and space. In a single evocative moment, her work with reflective materials transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, evoking both introspection and wonder. The piece showcased features a polished, light-refracting bowl that interacts harmoniously with the surroundings, blending vibrant colors with calm simplicity. With profound focus and precision, Rostami invites viewers into a meditative exploration of light’s ephemeral nature. Her ability to balance aesthetics with deeper meanings cements her place as a visionary contemporary artist.
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