Artist / Director

In my artistic career, I works with a variety of didactics & methods, performers & ensembles, institutions & places to create plays & shows. (theater, music, opera, video, radio plays and digital / medien art).

My first attempt at directing was the short film DAS PUPPENHAUS, in which I dealt with racism and society, wrote the script and produced the film in 2013 together with N-TOWN Production. In 2014 I create a new ensemble of actresses/actors and performing artists to stage the double piece by the american playwriter James McLure 1959 PINK THUNDERBIRD in english.

After this experience, I wrote again my own plays and libretti for theater and music theater productions, where I deal with contemporary social issues and artistic visions. My scenic plays and interpretations are based on two axes: body & voice / space & dynamics. I also creates audio and video installations for exhibitions and stage sets.

In 2017 I received an invitation from the Beijing Cultural Forum as an artist in residence for music and performing arts. I presented TAIKONAUT LILLI, a performance for an art festival at the 798 Art Zone. Working with the Vienna Boy‘ s Choir and their director Gerald Wirth, I led choirs in Beijing and Tianjin. In addition, I work together with the Peking University (Beida) for the first act of the contemporary opera DIONE.

After China, I continued to work on the form operaperformance, presented the second act of DIONE in Vienna and was therefore invited to the ANGEWANDTE – university of applied arts for a guest lecture. In May 2020, the opera will be presented in New York at the Austrian Cultural Forum (ACFNY).

In 2020 I won the Austrian Music Theater Award for my Avantgarde Chanson Show AMOUR FOU in the Category BEST OFF THEATER PRODUCTION.

With my art project MY NAME IS ART NOT INNOVATION I enters into a cooperation with artist & musician Bill Drummond (The KLF), where I turn the NO MUSIC DAY 2020 introduced by Drummond into a holiday of the new culture aera.

Since 2021 I am co-founder of D#AVANTGARDE – a digital art community with the attempt to inform, educate, explore and play with the new technology and to digital humanity.

After a long tradition of amazing emerging artists at one of Vienna’s most prestigious opera houses, I get to create SuperZero, Baby! Eine Opernperformance zu Wert und Wertigkeit to the famous Musiktheater an der Wien. I am honored and grateful for this opportunity and to work under the great intendant Stefan Herheim . Premiere will be at April 12, 2023

Scharmien Zandi wrote ( w ) and/or directed (d) the play/project.

2022 SuperZero, Baby! Eine Opernperformance zu Wert & Wertigkeit by S.Zandi Musiktheater an der Wien Kammeroper Premiere: April 12, 2023, Austria. 

2021 Silent.Opera by S.Zandi & S.Myselle, powered by D#Avantgarde 
Premiere at Republic of Užupis, Lithuania and Lunas Dream Vienna, Austria

2020 VULVA by Dr. Mithu S. Sanyal - an audio cultural science book, powered by iAKW , Planet 9

2020 MY NAME IS ART NOT INNOVATION by S. Zandi
performance on actionday NO MUSIC DAY in cooperation with Bill Drummond

2020 BORDERLINE by S.Zandi / (w/d)
operaperformance with Sopran, Performing Arts and a Band, Vienna 

2020 COCALINE - DIONE by S.Zandi / (w/d)
video installation STATE OF MATTER for the ACFNY, New York City

2020 THE WHOLE IN PARTS exhibition by Je Schumi / (d)
soundinterpretation at Kunstraum am Schausplatz, Vienna

2019 SALOME by S.Zandi / (w/d)
performance at Ship Without Sea Gallery Barbara Anna Husar, Vienna

2019 STATE OF MATTER by S.Zandi / (d)
videoinstallation, release 2020 New York City

2019 SABOTAGE by S.Zandi / (d)
action-art Harvard GSD, Cambridge

2018 HEADLINE by S.Zandi / (d)
with Ali Sarey Alsweedi, Antonia-Alexa Georgiew, Eszter Hollósi , Timothy Luger, Sarah Scherer, Maximilian Spielmann, 

2018 AMOUR FOU by S.Zandi / (w/d)
audio installation (Bachmann & Celan) at Red Gate Gallery, 789 Art District Beijing, Award Winner - Austrian Musictheater Prize Best Off Production

2018 HOREN by S.Zandi / (d)
video installation, Kunsttankstelle Ottakring

2017 REDLINE by S.Zandi / (w/d)
with Raimund Rosarius, Niko de La Faye, Dong Qi, Ni Zixuan, Zhang Chu Xuan, Liu Qian Yu, Zhang Haoying, Rao Kezhan, Fang Zhongxin, Yang Siting, Cie Tianping, Liu Yuwei, Zou Xu, Zhang Weilin,Qian Ruixin, Lin yu Quing

2017 TAIKONAUT LILLI by S.Zandi / (w/d)
interactive performance, 798 Art District Beijing

2016 MASSAKER.LIEBE.  by S. Zandi /  (w/d)
interactive performance, WUK Vienna

2016 1/4life crISIS by S. Zandi / (d)
exhibtion, mo.E Vienna

2015 LA BORRACHITA directed by Ana Drezga / ( w )
with Manuel Prammer, Scharmien Zandi

2014 MARIA, LA ABEJITA by S.Zandi / (w/d)
operaperformance with Lukas Heuberger, Irina Kachapova, Katharina Mazakidis, Sarah Scherer, Felix Tröbinger, Robert Stuc, Edin Sudar

2014 1959 PINK THUNDERBIRD by James McLure / (d)
thaeter with Alina Bachmayr-Heyda, Arthur Cole, Ben Marecek,Daphne Reitinger, Giamo Röwekamp, Nicola Ségur

2013 DAS PUPPENHAUS by S. Zandi / (w/d)
shortmovie with Josef Hilber, Sophie Huber, Erik Willerstorfer, Marie Wohlmuth