The performance "Grief is Painful" is dedicated to the memory of my brother, "Ramin Najafi" is one of the strongest and most passionate people I have ever known. "Ramin" loved nature and was one of Iran's prominent canyoneers. My dear "Ramin" lost his life in the "Kaftar-Khaneh" Canyon in Golestan Province.This is one of the most difficult and painful performances I have ever undertaken an attempt to convey a mere fraction of the immense, indescribable weight of grief I feel over the loss of one of the dearest people in my life.Buildings devoid of residents have always held a fascination for me, as I find myself wondering who lived in that space or building before and what difficult or joyful days they experienced there. This crumbling, ruined space is a symbol of death—a place once inhabited by people whose voices and memories we can still envision within it today.
Performance Art
The performance "Grief is Painful" is dedicated to the memory of my brother, "Ramin Najafi" is one of the strongest and most passionate people I have ever known. "Ramin" loved nature and was one of Iran's prominent canyoneers. My dear "Ramin" lost his life in the "Kaftar-Khaneh" Canyon in Golestan Province.This is one of the most difficult and painful performances I have ever undertaken an attempt to convey a mere fraction of the immense, indescribable weight of grief I feel over the loss of one of the dearest people in my life.Buildings devoid of residents have always held a fascination for me, as I find myself wondering who lived in that space or building before and what difficult or joyful days they experienced there. This crumbling, ruined space is a symbol of death—a place once inhabited by people whose voices and memories we can still envision within it today.
It is January 1404, although these days the body of Iran is full of anger, wounds, and pain, but it is full of light. 2025
2019. Gorgan. Iran.
University Science Malaysia, Department of Art. 2011. Penang Island.
In modern Life every day we carry a lot of suffering without knowing it. I surrender my suffering to the water so that I can walk more freely. In the second day suffering performance played with two stones. Banood Cave. Banood village. Assaluyeh. Iran. 2025.
Photographer: Maedeh Vakhideh
In modern Life every day we carry a lot of suffering without knowing it. I surrender my suffering to the water so that I can walk more freely.
In the first day suffering performance played with one stone. Nayband Bay. Hale village. Assaluyeh. Iran.
Creating art in new spaces always enhances my creativity and my connection with nature, and the exquisite nature at Bodhi Khaya offered me a unique and unforgettable experience. In my performance “Meditation for Escape from Fear” which took place over six days at four different sites, I found myself directly confronting an overwhelming fear each day: my fear of snakes. I originally wanted to confront one of my biggest fears—the fear of confined and narrow spaces. However, the snakes I encountered presented an even greater fear, one that had deep roots in my subconscious. I believe that by observing a snake quite close during the second day of the performance and by witnessing their presence daily, my fear of snakes has largely been eradicated from my unconscious mind. Light and brightness have triumphed over darkness and the devil. However, the most beautiful and significant part of the project was the performance on the fifth day when I found myself on a small beach in front of the De Kelders Caves. Being in this marvelous place, with its indescribable beauty, I was so excited to have the opportunity to perform in one of humanity’s earliest dwellings, with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean touching my feet. The lines I had drawn on that beach with the red earth of Hormuz Island in Iran, added a symbolic and powerful element to the performance, making the experience even more profound. Bodhikhaya Residency, 2024. South Africa.
Photographer: Bronwentrupp & Kiara Watermeyer South African Multidisciplinary Artist
Creating art in new spaces always enhances my creativity and my connection with nature, and the exquisite nature at Bodhi Khaya offered me a unique and unforgettable experience. In my performance “Meditation for Escape from Fear” which took place over six days at four different sites, I found myself directly confronting an overwhelming fear each day: my fear of snakes. I originally wanted to confront one of my biggest fears—the fear of confined and narrow spaces. However, the snakes I encountered presented an even greater fear, one that had deep roots in my subconscious. I believe that by observing a snake quite close during the second day of the performance and by witnessing their presence daily, my fear of snakes has largely been eradicated from my unconscious mind. Light and brightness have triumphed over darkness and the devil. However, the most beautiful and significant part of the project was the performance on the fifth day when I found myself on a small beach in front of the De Kelders Caves. Being in this marvelous place, with its indescribable beauty, I was so excited to have the opportunity to perform in one of humanity’s earliest dwellings, with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean touching my feet. The lines I had drawn on that beach with the red earth of Hormuz Island in Iran, added a symbolic and powerful element to the performance, making the experience even more profound. Bodhikhaya Residency, 2024. South Africa Photographer: Tebuza Tebukhu South African Visual Artist
Creating art in new spaces always enhances my creativity and my connection with nature, and the exquisite nature at Bodhi Khaya offered me a unique and unforgettable experience. In my performance “Meditation for Escape from Fear” which took place over six days at four different sites, I found myself directly confronting an overwhelming fear each day: my fear of snakes. I originally wanted to confront one of my biggest fears—the fear of confined and narrow spaces. However, the snakes I encountered presented an even greater fear, one that had deep roots in my subconscious. I believe that by observing a snake quite close during the second day of the performance and by witnessing their presence daily, my fear of snakes has largely been eradicated from my unconscious mind. Light and brightness have triumphed over darkness and the devil. However, the most beautiful and significant part of the project was the performance on the fifth day when I found myself on a small beach in front of the De Kelders Caves. Being in this marvelous place, with its indescribable beauty, I was so excited to have the opportunity to perform in one of humanity’s earliest dwellings, with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean touching my feet. The lines I had drawn on that beach with the red earth of Hormuz Island in Iran, added a symbolic and powerful element to the performance, making the experience even more profound. Bodhikhaya Residency, 2024. South Africa
© 2026 Farzaneh Najafi