Born in Teheran (Iran)
Lives and works in Antwerp (Belgium)

Bio

Maryam Najd (°1965) has roots in Tehran, but for the past several years Antwerp has been both her home and workplace. She works both purely abstract – using subtle colour gradations – and thematically figurative. What appear to be diverging concerns at first sight, turn out to be two sides of the same coin. Her figurative paintings are the most accessible to viewers; they demonstrate a reflective artistic process that simultaneously interweaves and unravels the social chasm dividing the two cultures. Najd juxtaposes the Middle East’s oppressive and conflict-charged context with the West’s utopia of “freedom”, and in doing so creates an open, but critical discourse between two opposing worlds.

Her work draws on a number of recurring themes: the corporeal versus the spiritual, Western women’s freedom as expressed in the issue of naked versus veiled femininity, and the visible versus the invisible, for example the mysterious existence of anonymous refugees, migrants and world travelers. In her paintings Najd uses images that in their essence evoke the most pressing and frequently asked existential questions. Maryam Najd persistently seeks the point at which extremes intersect. Two people at sunset walk casually beside the ocean surf, while in the paintings foreground, a man lays stretched out on the beach; he’s been wrapped in a sinister looking thermal shroud of shiny foil.

Painting with an overwhelming sense of empathy, and yet without drifting into the melodramatic, Maryam Najd portrays characters with exacting clarity that do full justice to their human dignity. Her portraits convey a sense of the artists ability to position herself within the European tradition, while not sacrificing her “Eastern” perspective. The migrants depicted are not impoverished beggars, but instead elegant characters, heads held high under ill-fated circumstances.

The connections she makes in her pieces are always unexpected, for instance between origin and yearning, between utopia and ideology, or between individuality and concealed beauty. In the end, it all revolves around the concept of freedom, not just as a goal in and of itself, but also as a philosophical concept and eternal point of enquiry. Is freedom a right or a gift? Is it a challenge or a trial? And what about the freedom to commit transgressions?

Education

1996—1997 Higher Institute of Fine Arts, Antwerp- Belgium
1996—1996 Academy of Fine Arts, Rome-Italy
1992—1996 Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium- cfr Master in the Visual Arts, Painting
1986—1991 University of Fine Arts, Teheran, Iran- Master in the Visual Arts, Painting
1983—1987 Miniature painting by Maestro Motie

Permanent collections

Arthur M. Sackler Museum, museum of Art and Archeology, Beijing- China
MUHKA- Museum of contemporary art Antwerp, Antwerp- Belgium
MuZEE- Kunstmuseum aan zee, Oostende- Belgium
Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Belgium mission in the UN, NY- USA
Troubleyn- Laboratorium Jan Fabre, Antwerp- Belgium
Collection of the Flemish Community- Belgium
Collection of Antwerp Province, Antwerp- Belgium

Articles & interviews

Borka Max, ‘Garden’, cat: Van Laere contemporary art, 1999
Demeester Ann, ‘Watou Poeziezomer, cat: Christoph Fink Atlas, 2001
Ruyters Mark,’Stille Schilders’ cat; Caermersklooster, 2003
Lambrect Luk, ‘Non Existence Flag Project’ cat: Metamorphosis II, 2004
‘Schilderkunst in Vlaanderen na 1980’ in: OKV, 2005
Ruyters Mark, ‘Phantasmagoria’, in: ART, 2006
Van Loo So e, ‘Gorgle’cat, Museum voor schone kunst Antwerpen, 2006
Jos Van den Bergh, review & preview Artforum, Apr 2008
‘B-SIDE AND RARITIES’ Lokal 01 Breda, 2010
Ruyters Mark, Maryam Najd ‘FANTASMAGORIA’ cat: VDH book, 2010
Ulrich David, Hart magazine, The odyssey of Maryam Najd, 2010
Malycha Christian, ‘In the wind the colours glance’, (BE)magazine- Berlin, 2011
Abraham Orsolya, ‘Wechselbad der farben’, artnet, 2011
Ulrich David, Worlds Nations United, Hart magazine, 2012
Menezes Caroline, ‘Taking a transnational picture’: Interview/ Studio International online Magazine, 2012
Jan Braet, ‘Zelfbewuste vrouwenlijven’, De Morgen 2014
Anna McNay, ‘Accuracy & Balance’ Studio International online Magazine, 2014
Indra Devriend, ‘Westerse Vrouwen Denken Dat Ze Vrij Zijn, Maar Zijn Ze Dat Wel!’, HART#130, 2014
Joze en Van Beek, “Romantiek vs. Gruwel”, ELLE BELGIE September16
Maryam Najd daagt het Groeningemuseum uit”, Exit Magazine aug ‘16
Indra Devriend, Maryam Najd in het Groeningemuseum Brugge, H ART #159, 2016
“Iran—Belgie” in Humo magazine 2016
Indra Devriend, “Rauwe Realiteit”, H ART #155, 2016
Els Maes, ”Zonder mijn verscheurde roots, zou ik heel andere kunst maken” DeMorgen, April 16

Books & publications

2016 “Eight Volumes of Fantasy” Panache, Artist talk and catalogue presentation at De Bond
2016 “Laboratorium” Jan Fabre/ Troubleyn
2015 “Painting Now” Thames & Hudson publishing
2010 “Phantasmagoria” VDH Publishing, Catalogue presentationat SMAK museum Ghent 2009 “Fading” Elsene 2006 “GORGE(L)” Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen 2001 “Watou” Poeziezomer
2000 “Stille Schilders”Carmersklooster
1999 “Garden” VanLaere Contemporary art
1997 “Art-Script” Mark Verstockt .

Grants & residencies

2017 Parcours Humain/ Atelier Mondial, Basel- Switzerland “Eight Volumes of Fantasy”
2014 Artist Talk Muhka/ Museum of contemporary art Antwerp, Antwerp- Belgium “Accuracy & Balance (West)” 2013 Frans Masereel centrum, Kasterlee- Belgium “Non Existance Flag Project”
2011 Kunstlerhaus Bethanian (KB), Berlin- Germany “Non Existance Flag Project”
2010 International Studio Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York- US “Non Existance Flag Project”