Neda Saeedi

Neda Saeedi is an Artistic Research Fellow at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, Max Planck Society, working through a collaboration with Villa Romana Florence. Born in Tehran, Iran, she currently lives and works in Berlin, maintaining an active international presence in the contemporary art world.

Research Interests:

• Power dynamics in the construction and consumption of place histories
• Historical and political resonance of materials
• Relationships between objects, bodies, and spatial settings
• Gardens/gardening as sites of possession, governing, and segregation
• Consequences of modernization and industrialization for the environment
• Sociopolitical effects of development projects in relation to environmental impacts

Saeedi's artistic practice centers on translating complex sociopolitical and environmental narratives into sculptural and installation forms, with particular focus on how architecture, urban planning, and landscape reflect power structures. Her current long-term project explores the concept of gardens as spaces that juxtapose possession and governing, examining how contemporary manifestations like seed banks and gated communities reflect apocalyptic visions and false promises of 'green salvation'.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Kunstfonds Scholarship (2020)
• Elsa Neumann Emerging Artist Prize (2019)
• Research Grant of the Berlin Senate for Culture and Europe (2018)
• Delfina Foundation Artist Residency in London

Saeedi's artistic research fellowship represents a significant collaboration between the Kunsthistorisches Institut and Villa Romana Florence, reflecting her position at the intersection of academic research and contemporary art practice. Her current projects 'Birds who fly the highest' and 'Swear by the Fig, Swear by the Olive' continue her exploration of religious architecture's aesthetics and narratives in relation to contemporary political and environmental concerns.