Malekijoo Nafiseh

Born in 1990 in Teheran, Iran, Nafiseh Malekijoo is a painter and actress. After graduating from the Faculty of Art (specializing in painting) at Tehran’s Azad University, she took part in several group exhibitions in Tehran. At the same time, she pursued a career as an actress in various theaters. In 2012, Nafiseh Malekijoo was nominated for the Best Actress Award at the Fajr International Theatre Festival. She was forced to leave Iran due to her political and artistic activities. Her artistic practice focuses on social issues dealing with refugees, the oppression of women, social minorities and marginalized people. Through her work, she seeks to raise public awareness of the injustices present in society. She has been a member of l’atelier des artistes en exil since 2023. In her series of drawings athletes, Nafiseh Malekijoo denounces the fact that in Iran, it is virtually impossible for female athletes to take part in high-level sporting competitions, and in international competitions, “defeated by social barriers before being defeated by their rivals in the sporting arena.” Yet the oppressed heroines depicted by the artist stand strong and unwavering, with their championship medals invisible.