Connecting art, place and experience
Saraaj is an interdisciplinary center for developing artistic spaces and meaningful experiences. We bring art, design, architecture and storytelling together to turn ideas into distinctive places, enduring works and opportunities for learning, dialogue and participation.
Our work begins with people, cultural context and the potential of each place, and continues through concept development, design and practical delivery strategies. We consider artistic quality, buildability, operational needs and economic sustainability alongside a project’s social and cultural contribution. We work with artists, collectors, businesses, investors, and urban and cultural institutions seeking lasting value through art and experience.
Saraaj’s expertise: from public art to experience destinations
Public art installations, monumental sculptures and interactive artworks are core areas of Saraaj’s practice, alongside the design and development of theme parks and artistic environments. A place’s identity and the story behind each work guide its artistic, spatial and technical development.
A public artwork can become a place to pause, interact and build shared memories. When connected to cultural context and an appropriate operational plan, a monumental sculpture can become a landmark, contribute to a destination’s identity and give people a reason to visit. Saraaj’s approach connects concept and narrative with design, scale, materials and delivery requirements, helping each work play a meaningful role in the life of its setting.
Our specialist departments
Through seven specialist departments, Saraaj connects artistic creation, spatial design, the art economy, media, learning and urban participation. Each has a distinct mission and contributes its expertise to shared projects.
Hichaa Gallery
Buying and selling art by emerging artists
Hichaa specializes in presenting, buying and selling works by emerging and forward-looking artists. Through artwork selection, exhibitions, events and acquisition advice, it connects artists with audiences and collectors. Within Saraaj, Hichaa strengthens the art economy and helps bring artworks into collections, workplaces, homes and spatial projects.
For an emerging artist, visibility becomes valuable when it deepens understanding of their artistic language and supports a lasting relationship with audiences. Hichaa’s role connects the artist’s story, the qualities of the work and the buyer’s context. Alongside Saraaj’s spatial practice, this perspective supports a thoughtful place for art in public and private settings.
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ONDO Architecture Office
Place, experience and themed environments
ONDO specializes in architecture and the design of places and experiences, translating human needs, narrative and place identity into spatial decisions. Its scope includes cultural, leisure, tourism and themed environments, with attention to movement, pause, interaction and the visitor experience. Within Saraaj, ONDO connects artistic concepts with the quality of experience in built spaces.
For ONDO, an experience begins before arrival and continues through movement, discovery and memory. Spatial organization, sequences, signs and sensory details should therefore serve a coherent narrative. Connecting this approach with Saraaj’s artistic practice helps create places with a clear function, a distinct character and the capacity to become part of people’s memories.
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Bi-Marz Studio
Media management and creative content production
Bi-Marz is Saraaj’s specialist center for media management and creative content production. From content strategy and brand storytelling to campaign design and visual, audio and digital content, its focus is clear and effective audience communication. Bi-Marz helps projects and brands tell a coherent story and connect their media presence with experiences in physical spaces.
For Bi-Marz, content forms part of a brand experience, from a first encounter to deeper understanding and participation. The choice of medium, narrative voice and production format should follow the project’s purpose and audience needs. Collaboration across Saraaj’s departments creates a basis for communicating artworks, places and events, from their underlying ideas to their presence in society.
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Maajaraa
An experiential learning platform
Maajaraa designs learning through practical activities, play, dialogue and shared experiences. Its programs create opportunities to explore skills, work and business, emerging technologies and the future, through group experiences, workshops and programs tailored to organizations. Travel is one of its learning settings. Within Saraaj, Maajaraa translates art and experience design into opportunities for discovery, learning and collaboration.
This approach moves beyond receiving information to create opportunities for experimentation, reflection and application. Each experience should connect a learning goal with participants’ needs and practical activities. Through its relationship with Saraaj’s other departments, Maajaraa can use art, place and storytelling as settings for creativity, problem-solving and meaningful human connections.
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Mashhad Art
Independent arts news and analysis
Mashhad Art is an independent outlet covering arts news and events, introducing artists and galleries, and publishing criticism, interviews and articles. Documenting and developing the city’s art archive is part of its mission. Within Saraaj’s specialist network, and with editorial independence, it supports an understanding of artistic developments, diverse voices and connections between artists and society.
The outlet’s value lies in connecting timely information with the long-term memory of the city’s art scene, so that an event report, artist introduction or specialist conversation remains accessible over time. Attention to diverse artists and accessible information supports recognition of Mashhad’s cultural capacity and helps audiences engage with its living arts community.
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Miyanmarz Podcast
Conversations and stories of human experience
Hosted by Mohsen Saraji, Miyanmarz is a podcast for listening to people’s stories and exploring life, art, choices and human experiences. In keeping with Saraaj’s approach, it offers space to pause, ask questions and see the world from different perspectives, creating understanding and connection through conversation.
Personal stories provide a starting point for understanding the journeys, uncertainties and decisions that shape individual experience. Conversation opens new perspectives and creates room for empathy. This approach strengthens the human dimension of Saraaj’s work, placing listening and questioning alongside making and designing.
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Shahr Naghshafarin
An interactive urban platform
Shahr Naghshafarin creates opportunities for dialogue, ideas and participation around urban challenges and possibilities. Through interactive events and idea submissions, it invites residents, specialists, artists and decision-makers to think and collaborate on the city’s future. Within Saraaj, it extends experience design into social participation and creates a setting for new urban ideas and collaborations to emerge.
This approach begins by recognizing lived experience and bringing everyday observations and questions into shared discussion. An interactive event creates value when participants have room to listen, express themselves and develop ideas. By connecting art, creativity and urban issues, Shahr Naghshafarin creates opportunities for residents’ perspectives and specialist knowledge to meet.
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Work with Saraaj
Talk to Saraaj about a public artwork, an artistic or themed environment, or a project connecting art, media, learning and participation. Collaboration begins with understanding the challenge, the audience and the project’s potential.
Discuss your project with Saraaj
