Sara Rahanjam; Get Closer Magazine; February, 2026
Meet Sara Rahanjam Iranian artist who uses art as a form of knowledge and protest. She creates work from her own lived experiences and of the women around her, rejecting injustices that become normalized and reaching for the possibilities of discovery and hope amidst devastation. - Midway through production of this issue, Sara and I lost contact due to the internet blackouts in Iran. When we reconnected she spoke of the pain but she also spoke of hope and art as a tool for healing. Even in the midst of terror she is showing up with light and hope. This is the thing about artists, we are incapable of presenting as anything other than what we truly are, and Sara is the epitome of embodying our art. I’m sincerely honored to share her work.
Please, take a moment to read Sara’s artist’s statement for her project “Spring Series.”
“I live in Iran — a land that still carries the memory of air raid sirens, shelters, and skies crossed by the flight of bombs. I have witnessed war up close: houses reduced to rubble, faces marked with the dust of sorrow, and streets where the silence of death prevailed. These experiences are etched not only into my visual memory but into the very fabric of my being.
In this work, I chose the form of a missile — a stark symbol of violence and destruction. Yet I covered its surface with the image of a rose — a flower that carries the scent of peace and love, and holds the promise of renewed life. This juxtaposition is intentional and deeply personal: a reimagining of an object of death through the language of nature and beauty.
Spring series reflects my longing for a world where instruments of war are transformed into carriers of peace. Just as a flower can grow from the cracks of a broken wall, hope can take root even in the wreckage of war.
Please, take a moment to read Sara’s artist’s statement for her project “Spring Series.”
“I live in Iran — a land that still carries the memory of air raid sirens, shelters, and skies crossed by the flight of bombs. I have witnessed war up close: houses reduced to rubble, faces marked with the dust of sorrow, and streets where the silence of death prevailed. These experiences are etched not only into my visual memory but into the very fabric of my being.
In this work, I chose the form of a missile — a stark symbol of violence and destruction. Yet I covered its surface with the image of a rose — a flower that carries the scent of peace and love, and holds the promise of renewed life. This juxtaposition is intentional and deeply personal: a reimagining of an object of death through the language of nature and beauty.
Spring series reflects my longing for a world where instruments of war are transformed into carriers of peace. Just as a flower can grow from the cracks of a broken wall, hope can take root even in the wreckage of war.
This piece is an invitation to remember a simple yet powerful truth: even after the darkest moments, light can return, and life can bloom again — if we choose to plant flowers instead of building missiles.” - Sara Rahanjam
