The paintings of Maryam Najd, who was educated in Teheran and Antwerp – two cultural and artistic extremes – are characterised by a dialectical approach in both form and content. Overcoming the traditionalist, conflict-laden and oppressive context of the Middle East in favour of Western “freedom”, the artist has been developing a highly individual painterly vocabulary that establishes a critical yet respectful dialogue between the two worlds. To do so, she merges her own experience with the representation of “reality” in the media, unravelling the anecdotal power of the image by confronting it with the idea of painting as an epitome of the freedom of thought. Najd’s figurative-abstract paintings are subtle, erotic, intellectual and atmospheric, but also confrontational, harsh and humorous.