Mirjam Maeekalle & Sepideh Safiyari

Metal bars, metal plates, wire mesh, wound dressings, 32,000 needles, poetry

The work is done in collaboration and is a reaction to the violence the Iranian government inflicted on its own people in January 2026 The work derives from the artistic creation of both of them as pain and violence are more often than not a topic of discussion But is at the same time a dedication to those who died.

The status of the women artists varies Sepideh's experiences are personal and shaped by the events that are still ongoing and affect her and her family in Iran Mirjam is in the role of an observer, who witnesses the impact of this violence on a close friend In addition to her background being colored by violence in both personal and political terms These different situations shape the approach to human empathy that the work presents.

Sepideh's contributions spring from his own life experiences and direct connection to these situations, while Mirjam approaches the subject through artistic and material elaboration and directs his empathy towards Sepideh, rather than Iran directly.

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Metal rods, metal sheet, wire mesh, bandage, 32,000 pins, poem

A collaborative artwork response to violence implicated on Iranian people in January 2026 by their own government. Rooted in a shared engagement with pain and violence, the piece stands as a homage to those who lost their lives.

The collaboration breasts together two distinct positions: Sepideh's deeply personal connection, shaped by ongoing events affecting her and her family in Iran, and Mirjam's role as an observer, witnessing the impact of this violence on someone close to them, with a background marked by violence on both personal and political levels. These different sources inform the work's exploration of human empathy.

Sepideh's contribution emerges from a lived experience and continued exposure to these conditions, while Mirjam engages through artistic and material interpretation, sitting their experience in relation to Sepideh rather than Iran directly.

Photo credits: Sisters Lumière/ @sisters_lumiere

Penetrating Violence

Pain that comes from what was mean to protect;
a silent betrayal
that settles into repetition.

The body is no longer a refuge,
it is exposed
under a gaze that does not withdraw,
under a pressure that does not cease.

Touch towers into intrusion,
closeness becomes another form of violence.

The around is no longer a point,
it spreads
across bodies,
into a memory that is no longer individual,
into a count rewritten again and again.

Breaking is not a single moment;
this repetition
leaves no space for repair.

What remains
is an open body,
continuously exposed,
unable to withdraw,
unable to separate from the trace of this violence.

Translated from Persian
Translated from Persian