Welcome to Gabour’s Expanding Realmswhere tradition and digital innovation intertwine.
LATEST HIGHLIGHT
THE FIRST FIXED COLORED SAND PAINTINGS ON GLASS
Exclusive CIPO Copyright
September 21, 2026
The world’s first fixed colored sand paintings on glass — officially registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) on September 21, 2026.
Through a process that combines micro-mosaic technique and specialized chemistry, millions of sand particles are permanently locked in place with microscopic precision over 4 to 6 days (depending on the size and volume of the work), without displacing a single particle.
The works exist in two forms:
– Ambient pieces, with touchable particles under natural or indoor light
– Backlit pieces that glow from within the frame in the dark
These works should not be placed in direct sunlight.
This is sand that remains.
Open Brush VR Video Gallery
Interactive 3D Experiences
Exploring digital art has always been a passion of mine, and over the past three years, VR has proven to be the most rewarding digital medium I have experienced.
When I enter this space, I feel the dance of art and technology as I paint directly with brushstrokes in binary 0-1 space. It allows me to touch, conceptualize, and build entire worlds from scratch. Here, I share a part of these environments and practice studies with you.
3D Character Animation & Immersive Storytelling in Quill VR
In my Quill practice, I combine frame-by-frame 3D animation with spatial storytelling to bring characters and narrative worlds to life inside virtual reality. Unlike traditional 2D animation or static 3D models, Quill allows me to paint, pose, and animate hand-drawn strokes directly in three-dimensional space.
Using VR tools, I craft expressive character performances, narrative animatics, and detailed spatial environments. Here, I share a curated selection of my 3D character animations, story concept studies, and spatial narrative tests created within VR.
Storyboard & Cinematic Decoupage Portfolio
Visual storytelling and precise shot planning form the backbone of effective filmmaking.
This section of my portfolio highlights my storyboarding, camera placement, and decoupage exercises designed to explore narrative pacing, composition, and dynamic scene transitions.
Through action sequences, character-driven moments, and spatial continuity studies, these animatics demonstrate my journey from initial concept to a structuredvisual flow.
Featured Project: Action Sequence Study
Project: Zombie Attack Action Sequence (Animatic Reel)
Focus: Visual Rhythm, Dynamic Framing & Action Decoupage
Role: Director & Storyboard Artist
Tools Used: Procreate, CapCut
Halloween in Gabour's Galaxy:
Solo Exhibition &
Live Sand Performance
Ink, Acrylic, Pastel, Fixed Sand Art on Glass, Live Sand Performance, Sculptural Works
The special event Halloween in Gabour’s Galaxy took place on Halloween night, 2025, right in my personal studio setting.
I designed this exhibition around the concept of Between Worlds—an idea navigating the space between the galaxy and Earth, and the borders of identity. The event offered a unique opportunity for guests to directly experience my work in an intimate atmosphere. It featured a curated exhibition of my expressive works across diverse styles, techniques, and materials, including ink, acrylic, pastel, fixed sand paintings, and sculptures characterized by a surreal, space-focused mood.
The highlight of the evening was my live Sand Performance executed in three distinct segments: Arrival, Connection, and Becoming. I designed the space with limited, dark lighting to accentuate the subtle movement of the sand and the light layers, creating a unified experience that blended the art with my studio environment.
Project Overview
Event: Halloween in Gabour's Galaxy Solo Exhibition
Venue: Gabour Studio (Montreal, Canada)
Year: 2025
Mediums: Ink, Acrylic, Pastel, Fixed Sand Art on Glass, Live Sand Performance, Sculptural Works
Role: Solo Artist, Event Host & Live Sand Performer
The Little Prince” Cultural Event
An Unforgettable Spectacle: Live Sand Performance for 'The Little Prince' New Persian Translation Book Launch
In 2024, I was invited to deliver a live sand art performance for the official launch of a new Persian translation of The Little Prince at Eera Art Café in Montreal.
Working with raw sand allowed me to connect profoundly with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s timeless world. As the grains flowed beneath my fingers, the medium itself became a bridge into the story’s existential depth—most poignantly realized during the emotional scene of the Prince's farewell to the serpent in the desert sands.
Bringing key moments of this masterpiece to life frame by frame through light and real-time movement was an unforgettable journey, where literature and live visual performance merged seamlessly into a deeply moving experience.Project Overview
Event: Official Launch of the New Persian Translation of The Little Prince
Venue: Eera Art Café (Montreal, Canada)
Year: 2024
Role: Featured Live Sand Performance Artist
Solo Exhibition _Casa Italia
with Two Historic Debuts:
World's First Fixed Sand Artworks & First Live Colored Sand Performance
with Two Historic Debuts:
World's First Fixed Sand Artworks & First Live Colored Sand Performance
This solo exhibition presented a curated collection of my expressive artworks at the historic Casa d’Italia gallery in Montreal. Most notably, this event marked two major milestones in my artistic path: the very first public unveiling of my fixed sand paintings on glass—the culmination of years spent experimenting, refining, and mastering the complex fixation process to permanently preserve sand art—and my first-ever live colored sand performance.
Complementing the displayed works, I performed my signature live colored sand painting on glass—a transient act that merges movement, light, color, and raw material. The live performance explored themes of creation, transformation, and cultural memory, dissolving the boundaries between static painting and dynamic performance art.Venue: Casa d'Italia Gallery – Montreal, Canada | Year: 2023
Art as a Voice:
Live Performances by Gabour in Montreal
My 2022-2023 artistic season was defined by two massive, unforgettable live performances in Montreal, where I used sand art and painting to bridge ancient Persian epics with powerful contemporary social movements.
1 . The Khordadgan Festival: Zahhak (The Shahnameh)St. Petersburg Hall, Concordia UniversityIn this high-profile academic and cultural collaboration, I delivered an extraordinary live sand art sequence for a major theatrical production of Zahhak from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. I translated the epic visual elements into flawless, fluid transitions that served as the magnificent live backdrop for the entire stage narration.
2 . The Voice of Iran: Support for the Glorious Revolution of the Iranian People (Mahsa)Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier
Dedicated to supporting those affected by the Glorious Revolution of the Iranian People (Mahsa), I delivered a powerful two-part live performance. I combined masterclass Sand Art Narration with high-impact Live Acrylic Action Painting to capture the true courage and resilience of the movement. This project stood as an absolute masterpiece of visual arts in driving international social solidarity.
Art Battle – International
Live Painting Tournament
Reaching the final round twice at Art Battle Montreal
(2023–2024)
I embraced the intense, high-energy challenge of competitive live performance art. Art Battle is an iconic live speed painting tournament where artists transform a blank canvas into a completed masterpiece in just 20 minutes, directly in front of a voting audience.
What made this live performance experience truly unforgettable was the electrifying, friendly atmosphere and the joy of creating alongside exceptionally talented fellow artists. Advancing to the finals in two separate Montreal events tested both my speed and artistic intuition. In this high-pressure live setting, I used swift brushwork and bold color contrast to construct dynamic compositions in real time, feeding off the vibrant energy of the crowd and my creative peers.Event: Art Battle Montreal (Live Speed Painting Performance)
Distinction: Two-Time Montreal Event Finalist
Venue: Montreal, Canada
Years: 2023 & 2024
Format: 20-Minute Live Performance Rounds with Audience Voting
Role: Live Performance Painter & Finalist
Art Battle – International
Live Painting Tournament
Reaching the final round twice at Art Battle Montreal
(2023–2024)
I embraced the intense, high-energy challenge of competitive live performance art. Art Battle is an iconic live speed painting tournament where artists transform a blank canvas into a completed masterpiece in just 20 minutes, directly in front of a voting audience.
What made this live performance experience truly unforgettable was the electrifying, friendly atmosphere and the joy of creating alongside exceptionally talented fellow artists. Advancing to the finals in two separate Montreal events tested both my speed and artistic intuition. In this high-pressure live setting, I used swift brushwork and bold color contrast to construct dynamic compositions in real time, feeding off the vibrant energy of the crowd and my creative peers.Event: Art Battle Montreal (Live Speed Painting Performance)
Distinction: Two-Time Montreal Event Finalist
Venue: Montreal, Canada
Years: 2023 & 2024
Format: 20-Minute Live Performance Rounds with Audience Voting
Role: Live Performance Painter & Finalist
Defying the Norms:
The Untold Mobile Craftsmanship Behind the Animal Wrld Phenomenon
The 3-Stage Mobile Pipeline & Deconstructing ToolsIn the early days of my migration, without access to complex computer setups, my smartphone became my sole digital canvas. During a Clubhouse art workshop, when it was claimed that Web3 success requires expensive tools and high-end training, I challenged that notion—driven by my belief that a true artist can create out of even the simplest tools. I designed and executed an exclusive 3-stage pipeline entirely on my phone
Stage 1: Mastering an obscure, obsolete app (not even available on Google Play, where color selection was done numerically) and converting its geometric spiral patterns into a free, single-stroke brush.
Stage 2: Applying distortion, 3D structuring, and multidimensional symmetry using Mirror Lab
Stage 3: Color grading, lighting adjustments, and final polishing using Snapseed on the same device.
By designing entirely by hand through finger touch across these three stages, I achieved a striking visual depth, living texture, and organic complexity that led most audiences to assume the work was created with AI or complex 3D software. Yet, it was entirely the product of authentic human craftsmanship and deconstructing forgotten tools
The NFT & Market Impact
This innovation created a striking distinction in a market filled with visually stunning graphic works. By directly transferring emotion and finger movement onto a smartphone screen, the resulting collection—Animal Wrld—achieved explosive success. It became one of October 2021’s top-selling records on OpenSea, completely selling out, and captured the attention of prominent NFT collectors worldwide, including Snoop Dogg (Cozomo de' Medici)—standing as proof that authentic human mastery and conceptual defiance build true value in digital art
Life in the Style of Servitude — Wordless Musical TV Series
"Commissioned in 2016 by Iranian state television (IRIB), Life in the Style of Servitude is a 30-episode wordless, musical live-action series. Marking my debut as a live-action director, the project challenged me to transform a traditional broadcast brief into a universal visual experience.
To move away from verbal rhetoric, I conceptualized the series entirely without dialogue. By relying on action, ethics, and a gentle musical narrative, I used the episodes to explore mutual social responsibility and cultural identity through a relatable, visual language. Below is a selection of frames from this project."Project Overview
Project: Life in the Style of Servitude (30-Episode Series)
Role: Director & Storyboard Designer
Production: Bayat Brothers Cultural-Artistic Institute
Broadcaster: IRAN Channel 8 (2016)
Format: Live-Action / Wordless & Musical (5 Mins per Episode)
Path of Life"
The First Sand Art Narrative TV Series (90 Episodes)
From an artistic and technical standpoint, Path of Life pushed sand art beyond short live performances, transforming it into the first 90-episode sand photo-novel series in international broadcast history.
Although my beliefs and worldview today are vastly different from when this series was created, this work holds a special place in my portfolio as a pivotal turning point in my artistic path. Below is a selection of frames from this project."Project Overview
Project: Path of Life (Sand Photo-Novel TV Series)
Distinction: World's First 90-Episode Sand Art TV Series
Episodes: 90 Episodes (3 Seasons)
Broadcaster: IRAN Channel 8 (2016)
Role: Director, Storyboard Designer & Sand Performance Artist
Goat and Kid — Stop-Motion Animated Series & Visual Development
"I have always loved exploring different fields in the art world—paths that challenge me and push my creative boundaries. The stop-motion series 'Goat and Kid' was one of those distinct experiences, where I took full responsibility for shaping the visual world as the Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Environment Designer, and 2D Title Sequence Creator.
Ultimately, the visual identity of the project stood out at the festival, leading to the Honorary Diploma for Best TV Production at the 7th Tehran International Animation Festival (2010–2011)."
Project Overview
Project: Goat and Kid (Stop-Motion Animated Series)
Role: Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Environment Designer & 2D Title Sequence Creator
Year: 2010–2011
Accolade: Honorary Diploma for Best TV Production (7th Tehran International Animation Festival)
Goat and Kid — Stop-Motion Animated Series & Visual Development
"I have always loved exploring different fields in the art world—paths that challenge me and push my creative boundaries. The stop-motion series 'Goat and Kid' was one of those distinct experiences, where I took full responsibility for shaping the visual world as the Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Environment Designer, and 2D Title Sequence Creator.
Ultimately, the visual identity of the project stood out at the festival, leading to the Honorary Diploma for Best TV Production at the 7th Tehran International Animation Festival (2010–2011)."
Project Overview
Project: Goat and Kid (Stop-Motion Animated Series)
Role: Character Designer, Storyboard Artist, Environment Designer & 2D Title Sequence Creator
Year: 2010–2011
Accolade: Honorary Diploma for Best TV Production (7th Tehran International Animation Festival)
(Visual Artist with Multiple Art style)
Traditional and Digital:
Sand Art_ Ink_ Acrylic_ Pastel...
3D VR Art_ digital Mobile Artist)(Animation & Filmmaker)
Story teller & Story BoardDirectorConcept Character & Environment
Animator Art Mentor
Gabour (Abolfazl Bayat)
Multidisciplinary Visual Artist | Montreal, Canada
I am an Iranian-born multidisciplinary visual artist based in Montreal.
My work moves between traditional and digital mediums. I love working with different materials and techniques and enjoy new artistic challenges. Sand is one of my favorite materials because it connects me directly with the energy of the earth. I am also drawn to cinema and animation, and digital art technology — especially 3D virtual reality — offers a deeply rewarding creative process.
My creative path began in childhood with my mother’s support. My professional activity started at age 17 during art school, working on the set design of the series Amin and Mina. After that, together with my family, I continued on the path of establishing the Bayat Cultural-Artistic Institute and producing animation and television series. Until 2018 I was a board member of the institute and head of the graphics department and directing.
Migration has been highly influential in my artistic path and worldview. Since arriving in Montreal I have held various exhibitions and events. Among the important achievements of this period are adding color to sand performance for the first time in my solo exhibition, presenting the first live colored sand show, and developing the fixed colored sand painting on glass technique.
EducationBachelor’s Degree in Film Directing
Associate Degree in Animation Filmmaking
Diploma in Visual Arts
(Animation and Film Production Experience)Film & Animation Experience
2001: Set production and execution – series Amin and Mina
2010: Storyboard and character designer – series Kod Khoda
2010–2011: Character designer, environment designer and title sequence creator – stop-motion series Goat and Kid (Honorary Diploma, 7th Tehran International Animation Festival)
2014–2016: Director, storyboard designer and sand artist – sand narrative series Path of Life (90 episodes in 3 seasons), Iran Channel 8
2016: Director and storyboard designer – wordless musical series Life in the Style of Servitude (30 episodes), Iran Channel 8
Management2008–2018: Board member and graphics department manager – Bayat Brothers Cultural-Artistic Institute
Digital Art & NFTOctober 2021: My finger-painted mobile collection Animal Wrld ranked among the top 3 best-selling albums of the month on OpenSea.
Fixed Sand Paintings on GlassSeptember 21, 2026: The first colored sand paintings on glass and their process were registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO).
Selected Exhibitions & Live Performances2023: Solo exhibition, Casa Italia Gallery, Montreal – first public presentation of fixed sand works and first live colored sand performance2023 & 2024: Two-time finalist, Art Battle Montréal2024: Live sand performance for the Persian launch of The Little Prince, Eera Art Café, Montreal2025: Halloween in Gabour’s Galaxy – solo studio exhibition and live sand performance2022-2023: Live sand performance for Zahhak (Shahnameh) at Concordia University (Khordadgan event) and the solidarity performance “Voice of Iran” related to the Mahsa movement
(Teaching Experience)2022 (Montreal): Art instructor at Saint-Henri Library (Bibliothèque Saint-Henri) for children of language learners at Centre Saint-Paul.
2007: Character design instructor at Kanoon (workshop with Sir Abdullah Alimorad).
2002 & 2004: Instructor at Tehran Animation House and Youth Cultural Center.
Instructor at Bayat Brothers Cultural-Artistic Institut
