Samin is an Iranian artist and Experimental Animation student based in Toronto, currently studying at OCAD University. Her work explores themes of emotion, identity, memory, and transformation through metaphorical and poetic visual storytelling. She combines digital media with hand-drawn and mixed-media techniques to reflect her personal experiences and inner world as an international student. Drawing from her experience of living between cultures, her work reflects the complexities of change, belonging, and cultural transition.
In Between Medium
Yarn, Foam, Acrylic paint, Plastic tubing, 22.4 x 7.1 x 9.8 in, 2026
“In Between” is about living between two places two identities and two personalities. The suspended head represents and is a symbol of an international student and immigrant in a new world that is the cage. The different colours reflect different memories from home country and experiences from new life in new country. The red threads symbolize emotional connection, anxiety, and the feeling of still being tied to home.
Although the walls of the cage are open, the threads create a feeling of being trapped at the same time. This work reflects the experience of carrying the past while continuing to move forward between different places, memories, and versions of myself. It also explores the uncertainty, emotional pressure, and personal transformation that can come with migration and building a new life away from home.