me

I am Sally Zori (they/them), a transgender Iraqi multi-disciplinary artist born in Baghdad, raised in the United Arab Emirates and across Canada. I currently live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples—the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

My creative journey began at eleven, when I picked up my first drum, the doumbek. That moment sparked what would become an international music career, with performances at festivals including Edinburgh Fringe, Sydney Festival, and Dublin Fringe. In 2008, I had the honour of performing with Aretha Franklin on New Year’s Eve. I’ve also worked extensively as a Musical Director, most recently on Morag; You’re a Long Time Deid, which toured the UK in 2024. I am currently a musician and storyteller in Adrian Glynn’s You’re Just A Place That I Know.

Alongside music, I studied Film & Television at the University of Windsor. Over the past three years, my creative focus has shifted toward visual art—particularly photography and cinematography. I create what I call “videographs”: silent, unedited moving images that draw from photographic composition and a deep sensitivity to time, rhythm, and stillness.

My visual practice is rooted in quiet observation and the everyday. It is both personal and political—an exploration of presence, patience, and attention, and an invitation to resist distraction by slowing down and looking more closely.

To learn more about what I’m involved in, check out my CV