Sina Khani

Sina Khani
Born1982 (age 42–43)
Tehran, Iran
OccupationsMusician, filmmaker, comedian, performance artist
Years active2008–present
Websitehttps://sinakhani.de

Sina Khani (born 1982) is a German‑Iranian multidisciplinary artist, musician, comedian, and filmmaker, active in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Bochum. He is the creator and lead performer of the satirical web series Creeps From The Middle East, known for blending absurdist humor, mockumentary elements, and social critique.

Career

Early work and The Sina Khani Show

Sina Khani graduated from the Rietveld Academie Amsterdam in 2008.[1] His early work include short films, music, and parody. His show The Sina Khani Show, produced via Mediamatic, mimics the late‑night talk show format with a subversive twist: “Sina Khani is the new David Letterman. Without the budget, without the connections and without the humor.”[2]

His early career included work as a musician, painter, and talk show host before moving into performance and film. Projects include the student short Inhalal versus Exhalal,[3] which was screened at the Netherlands Film Festival.

Music

Khani has released several offbeat singles at Blowpipe Records.[4] In a 2015 interview, he described transitioning from comedic performance to music and listed “Shrek” among his early releases.[5][6]

In 2016 performed a hymn for the German football club VfL Bochum, expressing his admiration for the team.[7][8]

Creeps From The Middle East

Khani is a principal creator of Creeps From The Middle East, a black-and-white, semi-scripted comedy series. The series blends satire, performance, and confrontation.[9]

The series has generated controversy. In 2024, FeltenINK reported that Hans Teeuwen was considering legal action over a scene in Looking for Hans, a film by Creeps, following provocative interactions involving Khani.[10]

The series has featured a range of contributors from music, theatre, and comedy, including Mohsen Namjoo, Gover Meit (also known as Stefano Keizers or Donny Ronny),[11] Adelheid Roosen, Michiel Lieuwma and Tarik Sadouma.

Public and media engagement

Sina Khani appeared as guest in Open Geesten #26, a podcast episode where he discussed his independent format and creative philosophy. [12]

Khani is a member[13][14] of The Unsafe House, an Amsterdam-based art collective. The group has described its work as engaging with classical artistic themes and practices through contemporary and experimental methods. In collaboration with Curtis Yarvin, The Unsafe House proposed a project for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, intended to present an alternative approach to conventional exhibition formats.[15][16][17]

In the Unsafe House Podcast, Khani and Ruth Spetter interviewed Tarik Sadouma, Mohsen Namjoo and Ronja Brainstorm.[18][19]

Khani has made several public performances, including an appearance on the German dating show First Dates, during which he stated that no woman should date him.[20]

Reception and criticism

Khani’s work often divides audiences. Ray Jackson of FeltenINK frames Creeps as deliberately provocative, pushing boundaries to expose ideological contradictions in art, religion, and media.[10] Critical commentary has questioned whether the show’s shock tactics constitute meaningful critique or performative provocation.

Since August 2025, Khani has been contributing to the project Leipzig & The Wokies (Scorched Earth) by The Unsafe House, a film documenting the cancellation of a planned event at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, HGB) following accusations of extremism.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Sina Khani | Rietveld Alumni Index". alumni.rietveldacademie.nl. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  2. ^ "The Sina Khani Show PILOT". Mediamatic. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Inhalal versus Exhalal". Nederlands Film Festival. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  4. ^ "sina khani". www.blowpipe.org. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  5. ^ Hoekstra, Emiel (15 April 2015). "Zie hoe Sina Khani danst en tongt met meisjes in de nieuwe video voor 'Shrek'". VICE (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Interview with Sina Khani". Tomatrax. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  7. ^ 11FREUNDE (1 June 2016). "„Bitte steig wieder auf!"". www.11freunde.de (in German). Retrieved 16 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Stahl, Jürgen (15 June 2016). "Prince-Fan aus Bochum singt schräge VfL-Hymne auf YouTube". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Creeps From The Middle East – Official Site". Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Controversy around film collective 'Creeps From The Middle East'". FeltenINK. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  11. ^ "GeenStijl: VIDEO. Moslims vallen Hans Teeuwen lastig". www.geenstijl.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Open Geesten #26 – Sina Khani". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Sina Khani". The Unsafe House. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Collaborations". The Unsafe House. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  15. ^ Greenberger, Alex (20 June 2025). "Curtis Yarvin Details Proposed Titian-Centric 'Art Hos' US Pavilion for Venice Biennale". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  16. ^ Freeman, Nate (19 June 2025). ""The Barbarians Are at the Gates": Curtis Yarvin Has Big Art Plans for the US Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  17. ^ Sharp, Sarah Rose (20 June 2025). "Curtis Yarvin's Venice Biennale Proposal Proves the Far-Right Can't Do Art". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  18. ^ The Unsafe House (21 March 2025). MOHSEN NAMJOO interviewed by TARIK SADOUMA and SINA KHANI at the UNSAFE HOUSE | The Unsafe Podcast. Retrieved 17 October 2025 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ The Unsafe House (20 March 2025). TARIK SADOUMA interviewed by SINA KHANI at the UNSAFE HOUSE (PT. 1: CHILDHOOD) | The Unsafe Podcast. Retrieved 16 October 2025 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "First Dates: Sina findet, dass keine Frau ihn daten sollte". www.vox.de (in German). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  21. ^ Overveen, Erick (13 November 2025). "Kunstenaarscollectief strijdt tegen "beleefde censuur"". De Andere Krant (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 December 2025.
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