A Bug's Life

A Bug's Life (2026) follows an insect puppet on a surreal nocturnal journey through an opulent Beverly Hills mansion. Guided by strings and a pair of glowing eyes, the puppet creeps past marble floors, gilded staircases, and precious furniture, treating the house both as a wonder and a hazard. As it moves room to room, the film gradually discloses that this home is one of the last intact examples of the architecture created by Hamid Omrani, an Iranian architect who became sought after among wealthy diaspora families who settled in the United States after the 1979 revolution. His houses mixed disparate styles and eras into oversized, ornate compositions which came to be known, disparagingly, as “Persian Palaces” before Los Angeles banned them outright in 2004.

The Film was co-commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery, London; Fluentum, Berlin; and Fondation Pernod Ricard, Paris. Produced by Chisenhale Gallery. With support through residencies at Callie's, Berlin and Villa Albertine, Los Angeles. Headline Supporters: Fondation des Artistes and Fluxus Art Projects. With additional support from the Chisenhale Gallery Commissions Circle. Courtesy of the artist and Ginny on Frederick, London.