Born and raised in Iran, Sara Issakharian grew up amid the trauma of war, including the experience of fleeing with her family during the eight-year Iran–Iraq War. These early memories have profoundly shaped her artistic outlook. Drawing inspiration from Iran’s enduring cultural history, she translates personal and collective experience into contemporary visual language. In 2009, Issakharian participated in the Iranian Green Movement, a moment that also deepened her interest in German art, particularly the ideas of Joseph Beuys and his belief in art’s potential to address psychological, social, and political healing. Her work often depicts scenes of everyday life, balancing moments of joy and fear, light and darkness, as coexisting forces. Through vivid color and recurring motifs, her paintings convey raw energy and emotional intensity, reflecting a growing confidence in both figuration and chromatic expression. Issakharian currently divides her time between Tehran, Los Angeles, and Berlin, and her work is held in private collections across Iran, Europe, and the United States.