MAJNÛN can be translated literally by “possessed by a djinn”. A prominent figure of madness in Persian and Arabic literature since the Middle Ages, he is at the same time the mad lover, the outlier and the one whose desire outbounds social norms. A lover of poetry and medieval Persian literature, Sorour Darabi reinvents the MAJNÛN figure finding footing in contemporary and medieval European and Persian cultures.

Medieval Iran was a time of intellectual, scientific and artistic influence, often referred to as a Golden Age. Medieval Europe is often referred to as a time of darkness and contraction. Sorour compares the different timeline; on one side an idealised Persian past and its impact on the present and on the other a Europe marked by medical, religious and social constructions that shape differently the understanding of bodies, of sanity and of madness.

Through this confrontation, MAJNÛN questions historical tales, cultural myths and heritages that continue to shape our way of living and understanding our world.

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Biography

Sorour Darabi is a transdisciplinary artist from Shiraz, Iran, based in France since 2013 and living and working between Paris and Brussels. A graduate of the Exerce Master’s program at ICI–CCN Montpellier, Darabi develops a practice spanning dance, performance, visual arts and research, informed by Iranian cultural heritage, queer cultures and poetry. Their work explores trance as a state of transformation, as well as the relationships between the body, desire and memory.

Their works have been presented internationally at venues and festivals including the Palais de Tokyo, Centre Pompidou, ImPulsTanz and Kunstenfestivaldesarts.

Darabi created their first work, Farci.e, in 2016, followed by Savušun (2018), Mowgli (2021), Natural Drama (2021), From the Throat to the Dawn (2022) and One Thousand and One Nights (2024). Their current project, MAJNÛN, will premiere as a duet in 2026, with a group version planned for 2028.