Nava Derakhshani is a multidisciplinary artist working across ceramics, performance, photography, video, and installation. Born in Southern Africa to Iranian parents, her work engages themes of womanhood, diaspora, and cultural hybridity. Derakhshani is an MFA graduate from Hunter College in New York City and holds prior degrees from the International Center for Photography, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Cape Town. Her background in architecture, social research, and non-profit work in Africa and India informs her geopolitical sensitivity to place and power. Her art is shaped by political displacement, often weaving together storytelling, mythology, and social critique.
Derakhshani's work has been shown internationally at venues including Culture Lab LIC (New York), The Tutu Legacy Foundation (Cape Town, South Africa), MIA Photo Fair (Milan), and the Environmental Photo Festival in Zingst (Germany). She is a recipient of the Mabou Mines Suite/Space grant (NYC), a former resident at the Center for the Less Good Idea (Johannesburg) founded by William Kentridge, and her photography and writing have been published in The Washington Post, Ain’t–Bad Magazine, and The Eurasia Review. Derakhshani’s interdisciplinary approach balances sharp social commentary with poetic, intimate gestures.
