Maryam Najd

Final day of Antwerp Art Weekend. But this is not the end! Kontrapunt III continues at PROJECT INFINIT until 14 June, by appointment. Across installation, video, painting, sculpture, and sound, works by Carlos Aires, Nástio Mosquito, Sofie Muller, Mekhitar Garabedian, and Maryam Najd unfold around visibility, disappearance, censorship, memory, resistance, and the unstable space between presence and erasure. Image 1- Nástio Mosquito Image 2- Mekhitar Garabedian Image 3- Carlos Aires Image 4- Sofie Muller Image 5- Maryam Najd PROJECT INFINIT IJzerenpoortkaai 8 — Antwerp Until 14 June Visits by appointment ✦ @antwerpart Antwerp Art Weekend

PROJECT INFINIT opens in Antwerp with Kontrapunt III. The exhibition brings together works shaped by different histories, distances, and forms of presence. Moving between silence and testimony, intimacy and violence, the works reflect on displacement, censorship, memory, identity, and resistance — on what becomes visible, what disappears, and what survives despite attempts to erase it. Featuring Carlos Aires, Nástio Mosquito, Sofie Muller, Mekhitar Garabedian, and Maryam Najd, Kontrapunt III approaches visibility as something fragile and unstable: shaped by power, borders, language, bodies, and the stories carried through them. PROGRAM 14 MAY Opening Exhibition — 12:00–20:00 Panel Discussion — 15:00 Moderated by Kathleen Weyts with Mekhitar Garabedian and Maryam Najd. 16 MAY Live Performance — 20:30 Stef Kamil Carlens & Nel Ponsaers Limited capacity — reservation required. Exhibition on view until 14 June. PROJECT INFINIT IJzerenpoortkaai 8 — Antwerp Open during Antwerp Art Weekend — 14–17 May ✦ @antwerpart www.antwerpart.be design studio Vrints-Kolsteren More information via Antwerp Art Weekend — Project Infinit

Dear Friends, On the occasion of Nowruz and the arrival of spring, I warmly welcome you to the opening of “Traces of the Forbidden”. A group exhibition which brings together Iranian artists working across different geographies, reflecting on conditions shaped by censorship, distance, and constraint. These artists are part of the Iranian diaspora, living beyond Iran yet deeply connected to its realities. Their work reflects memory, restriction, and resilience، giving voice to what cannot be openly expressed. As we welcome the new year, we also hold onto a shared hope for a future where Iran is free from oppression and censorship, and where artistic expression can exist without fear. With best wishes for Nowruz and the season ahead! Trace of the Forbidden- Where visibility is no longer innocent. Curated by Maryam Najd as part of doctoral research on artistic censorship in the MENA region (Iran as a case study). Artists Amir Khojasteh, Amirali Ghasemi, Honey Kazerooni, Homa Arkani, Mehrad Sepahnia & Atefeh Kheirabadi, Mohammad Barrangi, Niaz Mirmobini, Pooneh Oshidari, Sara Hamedi & Kaz Mose, Saye Sohrabi, Solmaz Niazi and Maryam Najd. Opening: 20 March 2026, 17:00–22:00 Exhibition: 20 March – 3 April 2026 | Mon–Fri, 14:00–18:00 Artist Forum: 20 March 2026, 18:00–19:00 Conversation with participating artists and researchers, moderated by Nat Muller. Film Screening & Finissage: 3 April, 15:00–19:00 Location Galerie Refugiehuis Maastrichterstraat 100 3500 Hasselt #tracesoftheforbidden #iranianartists #contemporaryart #artandpolitics #diasporaart

TRACES OF THE FORBIDDEN Where Visibility Is No Longer Innocent Traces of the Forbidden brings together thirteen Iranian artists whose practices explore what it means to create under conditions of censorship, repression, and displacement. Bringing visibility to Iranian artists across generations and geographies, the exhibition examines how decades of political restriction since the 1979 revolution have shaped artistic language in Iran and beyond. Under these conditions, artists often shift attention from what can be said to how something can appear. Ambiguity, metaphor, concealment, and coded visual language become strategies through which complex realities surface indirectly. Many artists draw from personal histories, family memory, and collective experience. Their works engage directly or subtly with social inequality, gender restrictions, political repression, and everyday negotiations of power. Developed within an ongoing doctoral research project, Traces of the Forbidden functions as both an exhibition and a platform for dialogue, bringing together artists working inside and outside Iran. Above all, the exhibition seeks to bring visibility to the ongoing situation in Iran, amplifying the voices of artists whose works emerge from lived realities and survival under repression as acts of resistance. Curated by Maryam Najd as part of her doctoral research on artistic censorship in the MENA region (Iran as a case study). Artists Amir Khojasteh, Amirali Ghasemi, Honey Kazerooni, Homa Arkani, Mehrad Sepahnia & Atefeh Kheirabadi, Mohammad Barrangi, Niaz Mirmobini, Pooneh Oshidari, Sara Hamedi & Kaz Mose, Saye Sohrabi, Solmaz Niazi and Maryam Najd. Opening: 20 March 2026, 17:00–22:00 Exhibition: 20 March – 3 April 2026 | Mon–Fri, 14:00–18:00 Artist Forum: 20 March 2026, 18:00–19:00 Conversation with participating artists and researchers, moderated by Nat Muller. Film Screening & Finissage: 3 April, 15:00–19:00 Location Galerie Refugiehuis Maastrichterstraat 100 3500 Hasselt #tracesoftheforbidden #iranianartists #contemporaryart #artandpolitics #diasporaart

Misogyny (2018) Collection Mu.ZEE Happy to be part of the exhibition “In Frequencies We Cannot Name: Language, Sound, Silence”, curated by Rita Ouédraogo and currently on view at De Brakke Grond. Exhibition: 7 March – 10 May 2026 The exhibition brings together works from the collection of Mu.ZEE and presents the work of sixteen artists exploring different forms of language — through images, sound, silence and artistic expression. On 8 March – International Women's Day, I will participate in the public programme Language, together with Babeth Fonchie Fotchind, Diane Mahín and Pei-Hsuan Wang. The programme reflects on language as a tool for resistance and empowerment. Public programme: 15:00–18:00 De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam If you are in Amsterdam, you are very welcome to join. #MaryamNajd #Misogyny #InternationalWomensDay #ContemporaryArt #Amsterdam #MuZEE #BrakkeGrond #ArtExhibition

Silence lets suffering fade into the background, and people in Iran deserve more than that. We don’t all share the same opinions, but we all have a responsibility to look, to listen, and to speak about human rights. Conversation is the first step toward awareness, and awareness is the first step toward change. Please don’t look away—pay attention and help keep this conversation heard.

You’re Invited! As ONTOMATERIA approaches its final day, I’m excited to welcome you to a special finissage panel talk at Verduyn Gallery on Sunday, 30 November at 11:00 AM. Join us for a lively conversation with the participating artists—Marius Ritiu, Alexandra Leyre Mein, Ileana Moro, Maryam Najd, and Stephan Balleux—as we delve into the themes, processes, and material explorations that shaped this exhibition. Come for the dialogue, stay for the insights—and step into the conversation with us as we bring this exhibition to a thoughtful close. To confirm your spot: Email [email protected] Include your name(s) and the number of guests attending I look forward to seeing you there. Photo No. 1- 'This is not a Flag' 2025, from Non-Existence Flag project Photo No. 2- 'Grand Bouquet' 2020-2025 from, Botanic- National Amalgamation project Photo No. 3- 'Woman with the Iron Ball' 2023, from Colour-Blind Society project Photo No. 4- 'King Protea & The Paramour I & II ' 2024 From Colour-Blind Society project Photo No.4- 'The allegory of life' from the Woman, Life, Freedom project. #ontomateria #paneltalk #maryamnajd #stephanballeux #mariusritiu #alexandraleyremein #ileanamoro #contemporaryart #politicalart #criticism #nationalism #symbolism #flags #nation #unitednations #flowers🌸 #verduyngallery Photography by Shivadas

Meet the artists behind 'Ontomateria' 🌿 On Sunday 30 November at 11:00 AM we’re hosting an intimate panel talk at Verduyn Gallery with all participating artists: @maryamnajd @studiostephanballeux @ileanamoro_ @alexandraleyremein @marius_ritiu They’ll be in conversation with us about their practice and the exhibition, followed by an open Q&A where you can ask your own questions. The talk is free to attend. Afterwards: drinks in the garden with the artists 🥂 Because this is a very limited-capacity event, registration is required. To confirm your spot: → Email [email protected] → Tell us your name(s) and how many people you’re coming with First come, first served. See you there ✨ Photography by Shivadas #ontomateria #paneltalk #maryamnajd #stephanballeux #mariusritiu #alexandraleyremein #ileanamoro #contemporaryart #verduyngallery

The exhibition “Ontomateria”, curated by Stephan Balleux, gathers artists who approach matter as something alive — as memory, skin, and language. Featuring works by Marius Ritiu, Alexandra Leyre Mein, Ileana Moro, Maryam Najd, and Stephan Balleux. 🕙 Opening hours: Tuesday – Thursday 10 AM – 6 PM Friday 10 AM – 7 PM Saturday & Sunday 10 AM – 6 PM 🍷 Every Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM, join our guided walk through the exhibition, followed by a drink in the garden. 📍 Verduyn Gallery, Heerbaan 10, 9790 Moregem #Ontomateria #VerduynGallery #ContemporaryArt #Materiality #MariusRitiu #AlexandraLeyreMein #IleanaMoro #MaryamNajd #StephanBalleux #ArtExhibition #GalleryGarden #ArtAndNature #BelgiumArtScene

Grand Bouquet, Nr.II 2020-2025 BOTANIC- National amalgamation project Acrylic paint on Canvas and Wood On view at Verduyn gallery- Ontomateria The monumental painting, titled Grand Bouquet (2011-2012), takes its inspiration from historical Flemish master Jan Brueghel the Elder. Najd has used an image of Bruegel’s painting Flowers in a Wooden Vessel (1606 - 1607), depicting a large bouquet of flowers as reference, which the artist photoshop-ed to incorporate every current national flower, of which there are one hundred and twenty-eight in total. (Not quite every nation has an official flower.) Painted on a white ground, the image has a sort of scattered composition, but more significantly it has an overall sense of unity. The flowers are painted in a photorealist style, which is an approach the artist has developed in her practice over several years. Each individual flower is meticulously rendered in bloom, capturing their natural beauty. They appear floating in space, as if they are slowly converging, together forming a counter-symbolism. Rather than seen in isolation, they form a distinct unity, together perhaps even forming more than the sum of their parts. This unity might point towards the connections have led to the creations of societies globally. It might be seen as a meditation on a sense of co- dependency, not just historically, but also under the conditions of globalisation. In contrast to the modernistic construct of nation state or of national boundaries, perhaps we can ask ourselves: have we been emphasising politics over the flow of culture for too long? Text by Nav Haq #nationalism #nationalsymbols #unmembers #nations #countriesoftheworld #socialart #symbolism #symbolicart #nationalsymbols #nationalamalgsmation #flowers #nationalflowers #unification #grandbouquet #janbruegheltheelder #woodenvessel

Maryam Najd Woman in Iron Cage I (2022) Acrylic on canvas, 40 × 30 cm In this work, Najd portrays the silent endurance of women constrained by invisible systems of control. The iron cage becomes both armour and prison — a haunting symbol of beauty under surveillance. Now on view in OntoMateria, curated by Stéphan Bailleux, at Verduyn Gallery. 📍Heerbaan 10, Moregem 🕒 Wed–Fri 11–18h | Sat–Sun 14–18h #MaryamNajd #OntoMateria #VerduynGallery #StephanBalleux #ContemporaryArt #FeministArt #Painting #ArtAndMatter #ArtIsSlowAttention #BetweenRealms #SlowExhibitions #BelgianArt #ArtCurator

ONTOMATERIA Stephan Balleux · Alexandra Leyre Mein · Ileana Moro · Maryam Najd · Marius Ritiu “Matter does not represent — it remembers.” Curated by Stephan Balleux, Ontomateria explores the profound entanglement between being and matter. Here, thought is not abstract but material; perception becomes substance; and existence unfolds through copper that breathes, plaster that weeps, and shadows that listen. Each artist reveals how matter itself thinks, resists, transforms — blurring the line between what is seen and what silently shapes us. Verduyn Gallery, Heerbaan 10, Moregem Private Preview: Sat 11 Oct, 2–4 pm Opening Weekend: Sat 11 Oct, 4–6 pm · Sun 12 Oct, 2–6 pm #Ontomateria #StephanBalleux #AlexandraLeyreMeyn #IleanaMoro #MaryamNajd #MariusRitiu #VerduynGallery #ContemporaryArt #ArtExhibition #PhilosophyOfMatter #Materiality #ArtAndOntology #BelgianArtScene #ArtInBelgium #SlowExhibitions #MatterAndBeing