Saba Niknam

Particularly concerned about the disappearance of cultural heritage in the Middle East, artist Saba Niknam has been exploring traditional headdresses from Asia and the Middle East for several years. Through the project A Journey Through Headdresses, launched in 2020, she conducts in-depth research based on archival materials and fieldwork. Each piece is the result of a genuine ethnographic investigation, revealing the social, symbolic, and spiritual dimensions of these objects. By reinterpreting these headdresses using contemporary materials—often salvaged—she positions her work at the intersection of art and craftsmanship, while respecting the codes and meanings specific to each culture.

In the spring of 2026, her residency at the Crambes hat-making workshop in Caussade, Tarn-et-Garonne, marked a decisive milestone in this research. Founded in 1946, Crambes carries on the traditional craftsmanship of French hat-making, recognized by the “Living Heritage Company” label. Located in the heart of the Quercy-Caussadais region, an area historically linked to the hat industry, it embodies a rich artisanal heritage, founded on mastery of demanding techniques such as shaping, fulling, and working with felt and straw.

Saba Niknam, who began her residency at the company in the spring of 2026, works in close collaboration with the artisans and using the workshop’s tools. This proximity allows her to explore new formal and technical possibilities, combining her ethnographic research with the techniques and materials specific to hatmaking. From this dialogue emerge original creations, presented in the exhibition The Art of Headwear, which brings together both works from the project A Journey Through Headwear and pieces resulting from this collaboration.

The presentation of this residency, held at the Crambes company itself, highlights the fruitful intersection of contemporary creation and artisanal craftsmanship. Through this body of work, Saba Niknam offers a sensitive exploration of transmission, memory, and the ability of traditional forms to reinvent themselves in the present.

Events

Les Estivales du chapeau de Caussade
Featuring Saba Niknam and Les EpouxP
July 16–19, 2026

Association Console
Performed lecture by Saba Niknam
Grange du Souillé, Labastide-de-Penne
July 19, 2026

Full program: www.gorges-aveyron-tourisme.com

Project partners: PETR du Pays Midi-Quercy, Tarn-et-Garonne Departmental Council, Quercy Caussadais Community of Communes, Quercy-Caussadais Tourist Office, Caussade Town Hall, Les Estivales du chapeau de Caussade, La Paillole de Septfonds, the Console association of Labastide-de-Penne

Biography

Born in 1988 in Tehran, Saba Niknam lives and works in Strasbourg, where she settled at the age of 19. A graduate of the Haute École des Arts du Rhin, she has developed a practice informed by extensive travel and an almost ethnological approach to traditions still alive around the world. Her works, which were added to the collections of the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris and the Frac Alsace in 2023, explore worlds steeped in myths, rituals, and beliefs, while forging a delicate connection between ancient heritage and contemporary creation.

Gestes - arts et savoir-faire en Région Occitanie

The Abattoirs’ Gestes -Arts et savoir-faire en Occitanie program explores the work of artist-craftspeople who are reinventing the relationship to making and to materials, while mapping the region’s craftsmanship. The invitations to artists Saba Niknam and Les EpouxP to explore hat-making craftsmanship in the Quercy Caussadais region are part of this program.