Jaleh Negari
Borealis Artist in Residence
2024–26
Photo: Runa Halleraker
Danish-Iranian drummer, composer & sound artist Jaleh Negari is Borealis’ Artist in Residence from 2024–2026! Working with live performance, graphic material and field recordings she performs live as part of collective Selvhenter, as well as presenting solo and duo exhibitions and collaborations with dancers through her many projects. She releases her records through Eget Værelse, the multi-disciplinary artist collective and label she co-founded.
For Borealis, Jaleh is diving into the idea of displacements – figuratively, thematically and emotionally. Starting from a series of graphic scores, where linguistic and graphic elements are spread as fragmented and staggered patterns across a canvas, the work has taken on a double focus to include the experience of displacement that has accompanied her life as an Iranian immigrant in Denmark.
After a period of deep research in 2024 and workshopping ideas with the Borealis team and collaborators, Jaleh performed at Borealis ‘25 with her noisy collective Selvhenter. Right now she is developing visual and sonic ideas of displacement, a new performance quartet, a sound installation and graphic works, which will culminate in a new work for Borealis 2026.
Look out for her popping up in Bergen throughout the year!
More on Jaleh
Jaleh Negari is a Danish-Iranian drummer, composer and artist based in Copenhagen working within the field of experimental electronic and instrumental music, graphic artwork, sound installations and dance performances.
Approaching sound as matter she is interested in the depths of rhythm and rhythm’s potential as a carrier of energy, how movements of sound can be seen and how visual and bodily expression can sound.
Born in Iran Negari grew up in Denmark since early childhood, and has for many years been an active figure in the collectively organised and independent music scene of Copenhagen. Her first solo album Arch Waves was released in 2016, followed by the electronic collage album Weaver~ in 2021, based on field recording and graphical scores.
Jaleh is member of the instrumental noise band Selvhenter, the art duo Fungal Network, the performance group Meshes, and collaborates with Danish-Italian choreographer Alicé Martucci. She holds a master’s degree in Composition from the Rhythmic Conservatory of Copenhagen from 2018, and co-founded label collective Eget Værelse together with the bandmates from Selvhenter in 2010.
Jaleh at Borealis 2025
Heftig – noisy visions from Palestine, Indonesia and Danmark
Saturday 15 March 2025, 21:00–01:00, Bergen Kjøtt
Selvhenter:
Jaleh Negari – percussion
Anja Jacobsen – percussion
Sonja LaBianca – saxophone
Maria Bertel – trombone
Heftig was a night of noise and sonic experimentation from Palestine, Indonesia and Denmark part of Borealis 2025. Jaleh was on stage with Selvhenter, who are known for creating ecstatic and physical sound experiences with polyrhythms, acoustic and electric melodies, heavy sounds and improvised beauty. Selvhenter presented a total sound where an improvised free jazz approach collided with experimental electronic music and avant-garde noise/post-punk sonorities. The evening also featured the Norwegian premiere of the new work Heart Gate from Palestinian rapper, producer and sound artist Dakn داكنْ, and the duo Kadapat consisting of the two young Indonesian musicians Yogi and Barga who combine the strictly traditional gamelan teachings from their upbringing with urban culture, technology and Balinese cosmopolitanism, creating a complex hybrid that is equal parts noise, rave and ceremony.
Sounds and video with Jaleh
