Sharifi scholarship
Refugee and immigrant artists
If each grant, competition or artistic residency is based on its own aesthetic or editorial criteria, the line we have chosen is to support foreign artists who have been stranded among us by the dramas of the world. We offer talents who wish to do so a chance to rebuild themselves by achieving what they did not have the opportunity to do in a previous life, and to offer the public new discoveries, to integrate through a practice that is at once socialising, spiritual and federative.

Habib Sharifi
Habib Sharifi is an author and poet who was born in Khorramshahr in southern Iran in 1933 and died in Paris in 2021.
A scholar specialising in oriental philosophies and mystics, Persian literature and poetry, and with a doctorate in sociology from the Sorbonne, he published three collections of poems in Persian and several works on music, mysticism and Persian literature. He has given numerous conferences in France and Europe on his favourite themes. Until the end of his life, he taught Persian poetry. He was recognized as one of the great specialists of Hafiz.
He left Iran, with his family, in the context of the Iran-Iraq war and the Iranian revolution of 1979.
"Culture is that resistance which remains when everything has been torn away from us.
Habib Sharifi
Vision & impact
Refugee and immigrant artists
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there will be almost 90 million forcibly displaced people worldwide in 2021 (of which 27 million will be refugees). This is a figure that has more than doubled in the last 30 years. Over the same period, the number of asylum seekers has risen from zero to no less than 4 million, and only five countries are represented for more than two-thirds of the recognised uprooted people. Although the material aid provided to these populations by humanitarian organisations is a priority, psychological support and emotional support are also essential for their reconstruction. It is through the prism of poetry, music and various forms of artistic expression that the Habib Sharifi Fellowship is committed to contributing to the resilience of those who have been battered by the conflagrations of contemporary history, and who are likely to heal the cracks in their souls through their testimony and their talent.

JURY

amir sharifi
Président-Fondateur de la Bourse Habib Sharifi

Leili Anvar
Iranologue, Écrivaine et traductrice Universitaire spécialisée dans la poésie et la mystique persanes

Pierre Thilloy
Compositeur Directeur général du Festival Les 2 Mondes

Anahita Vessier
Commissaire et consultante artistique Fondatrice d’Anahita’s Eye et initiatrice de la plateforme Tehran Now

Isabelle Lawson
Directrice exécutive de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts

Oana Besnea
Déléguée-représentante de la Cité internationale universitaire de Paris

sina abédi
Délégué général de la Bourse Habib Sharifi & Fondateur de Gondishapour

Francesca Corona
Conseillère artistique Directrice artistique du Festival d’automne
TEAM

Amir sharifi
President

sina abedi
General Delegate & Artistic Director

amir jahanguiri
President of the Circle of Patrons

pierre-antoine caboufigue
Project Manager

XENIA SAILLARD
Project Officer

Romain saillard
Project Officer
Partners
The Scholarship is honoured to benefit from the trust and collaboration of prestigious structures involved in cultural outreach and practice. This allows the Exchange to ensure external projection operations for the public, but also to ensure the vivacity of its internal organisation.
"In our darkness there is no room for beauty. All the room is for beauty.
René Char
Circle of Patrons
The Circle of Patrons brings together donors who, through their philanthropic act, share their commitment to culture and contribute to the direct support of artists in residence and the organisation of our events. Throughout the year, the Circle’s patrons benefit from a dedicated programme and exclusive advantages as a thank you for their donation. Members benefit from invitations to receptions and private performances as well as a real proximity to the artists.