Aljoscha Farassat

Aljoscha Farassat is an Austrian born painter who lives and works in New York City since 2008.

Born stateless was Aljoscha Farassat’s first experience of not belonging. His mother is Austrian, his father, an Iranian who had his own struggles giving up his national identity after the Islamic revolution in 78 by exiling his country.

For the first 17 years of Aljoscha Farassat’s life he had no citizenship, no passport of any kind. He could not travel nor leave the country he did not belong to… at least in an official sense. In that sense he was neither a native nor an immigrant.

Looking different than most Austrians was another indication of not belonging. An immediate sense of “different” was what he encountered with his fellow non-countrymen daily.

At the age of 17, after legal battles, Austria was obligated by law to adopt this unwanted child. However it was too late. Not belonging has become the artist’s national identity… his own exile so to speak.

This nurtured his creative playing field. A blessing of sorts that there are no boundaries or frontiers in the artistic experience. There are no such restraints as national pride or heritage, intolerance of the other or the misfit.

By the age of 28 the artist packed his bags and left for New York. A City where not belonging is to belong.

“My artistic journey is a reflection of the relentless quest for identity and self amidst the complex landscapes of life. From the stark brutality of a remote Arctic structure to the enigmatic presence of hovering red spheres in a hidden forest, I explore the myriad facets of existence. In a vast structural tapestry of dark cubicles, walls, corners, and acid-burned self-portraits, I delve deep into the essence of what it means to be human.”