Najme Kazazi

Born in 1985 in Kermanshah, Iran
Lives and works in Tehran

Née en 1985 à Kermanshah, Iran

Vit et travaille à Téhéran

Najme Kazazi

Najme Kazazi is an Iranian painter whose practice explores intimate memory, the transformation of organic forms, and the dualities between light and darkness. Graduating in painting from Soureh University of Art in Tehran in 2010, she develops a sensitive and introspective body of work that blends mental landscapes, fragments of objects, and figures in metamorphosis.
For over a decade, Najme Kazazi has presented her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions, both in Iran and internationally. Among her most notable solo exhibitions are “heart-devouring love” (2024), an intimate presentation at Sharif Art Gallery in Tehran; “Shades of Leaves, Shadows of Self” (2024) at Offside Gallery in Vancouver; “Where the Fish Goes, the Water Flows” (2021) at Inja Gallery; and “Predicting the Fall” (2019), presented simultaneously at Inja Gallery (Tehran) and Pirsook Gallery (Shiraz).
Her work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kerman, the Pure Drawing Museum in Tehran, and in Spain as part of an exhibition of the Stuckist movement. Winner of the Faber-Castell Prize in 2005, she belongs to a generation of Iranian artists who combine introspection, commitment, and visual experimentation.

Training

2010 – Bachelor of Arts in Painting, Soureh University of Art, Tehran, Iran

Personal exhibitions

2024 – “heart-devouring love”, one-day private presentation, Sharif Art Gallery + three days in open studio, Tehran, Iran
2024 – “Shades of Leaves, Shadows of Self”, Offside Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
2021 – “Where the Fish Goes, the Water Flows”, Inja Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2019 – “Predicting the Fall”, Inja Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2019 – “Predicting the Fall”, Pirsook Gallery, Shiraz, Iran
2018 – “Bright Side of Darkness” (drawings), Pure Drawing Museum, Tehran, Iran
2017 – “Dark Box”, Hepta Gallery, Tehran, Iran

Group exhibitions (selection)

2021 – Transition, Sharif Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2020 – The Journey No.1 / Getting out of Yourself, Sharif Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2019 – A Close View of Far Field Representations, San'ati Museum of Contemporary Art, Kerman, Iran
2019 – Persons, Hamras Art Space, Tehran, Iran
2018 – Drawing & Gavel, Pure Drawing Museum, Tehran, Iran
2018 – Winter 2018 – Second Exhibition, Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2018 – Sketching Notebook, 14 Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2016 – Stuckists, international exhibition, Spain
2014 – Stuckists, Dey Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2007 – Nasl-e No-e Homa, group exhibition, Homa Gallery, Tehran, Iran

Price

2005 – Winner of the Faber-Castell competition, Iran

Through feeling, never named

Najmeh Kazazi is an experimental artist who explores her emotions and thoughts by transforming them into colors and shapes on canvas. She often begins painting without knowing what her final work will look like. She sits down in front of a blank canvas with curiosity, and it is through painting that she discovers what she feels and what she is looking for.

She enjoys finding shapes and symbols in abstract colors. Even though she knows whether she's happy or sad, she doesn't start with a clear idea of what she wants to do. She paints freely, guided by her emotions. This causes the colors and mood of her works to change a lot. Her moods in life are directly reflected in what she paints. Sometimes, when she looks at her old works, she no longer recognizes herself in them. She thinks about changing them, but she almost never does.

When a painting is finished, Najmeh is the first to see it and react to it. For her, this moment is the real reason she creates. She paints because she loves it—it's something very personal. But to enjoy it, she needs to feel connected to what she's creating. That's what motivates her.

She defines herself as an experimental artist, open to all kinds of materials and techniques. She doesn't want to limit herself—neither in what she does nor in how she does it. She understood that self-censorship was a big problem, especially in countries where art is highly controlled. Being tied to a gallery that had to follow state rules made her realize how powerless an artist can feel. It was a difficult but eye-opening experience.

Now that she's finished those contracts, she wants to create without limits. She's looking to collaborate with galleries in other countries because she believes art should have no boundaries or restrictions. For Najmeh, the true freedom of an artist is being able to create and share with people from different backgrounds. This is how she wants to continue evolving—by connecting with others and moving forward in her journey.