UROK

UROK (Netherlands/Iraq), aka Urok Shirhan, is an artist, researcher and DJ based in Athens that is active at the meeting point of performance, visual arts and critical theory. As a DJ, she adopts a multilingual club sound in her sets, where uptempo Arabic and Latinx rhythms meet leftfield techno and deconstructed bass, combining sweet pop melodies with percussive electronic elements.

UROK has undertaken DJ sets for the opening of the 18th Istanbul Biennale at Soho House Istanbul, for Radio Alhara x Art Explora in Piraeus, as well as for the new online platform of Ibraaz London. He has been a resident DJ at the 1982 Art Space & Bar in Athens, while he regularly performs DJ sets at other venues in the city, such as Latraac, BIOS, Cantina Social, PLEX and Romantso. In the past, UROK hosted the monthly live show “Sound Without Image” on Radio Alhara, broadcasting from Bethlehem, Palestine.

As an artist, her research often arises from questions related to her biography and her family history of political struggle and (violent) migration. Her most recent works examine the role of sound, and in particular voice, in relation to collectivity, disagreement and a sense of belonging. She has recently appeared at the Sonic Acts Biennial in Amsterdam, while her writings have been published in “Infrasonica”, “NORIENT”, “The Derivative” at the Beirut Art Centre, “Sonic Continuum” at Nottingham Contemporary and “PrintRoom” in Rotterdam.

Urok Shirhan participated in the Onassis AiR Extended Research Residencies program for the 2024/25 season.