Lucid Madness

Azad Gallery is pleased to announce Lucid Madness (Persian: Jonoun-e Agahaneh), a collaborative exhibition featuring the works of Nima B. Djavidani (known as Grey Crow) and Nima Faez (known as Damzee). The exhibition will be on view from December 26, 2025, to January 6, 2026.

Lucid Madness is described as an exploration into "buried lands" beneath the daily life we recognize—a journey into the world of nomads, outcasts, and the forgotten. The exhibition represents a search within the tissues of pain, loneliness, and emptiness to find beauty on the "dark side of life". As stated in the exhibition manifesto, the show serves as "a song composed in praise of the glory of life, in the terrifying vicinity of death".

The collaboration, described by the artists as a "companionship and crow-ship," bridges two distinct philosophical worlds. It unites the death-conscious and philosophical perspective of Grey Crow with the playful, "in-the-moment" world of Damzee. The partnership was sparked by a dialogue regarding the "manifestation of beauty in the vicinity of death" and the artistic endeavor to find beauty within ugliness.

Nima B. Djavidani (Grey Crow) Born in Shemiran in 1980, Nima Balazadeh Djavidani (Grey Crow) began photography in 1997. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Radio, Television, and Film Studies from Eastern Mediterranean University in North Cyprus (2022). Influenced by artists such as Joel-Peter Witkin and Alejandro Jodorowsky, he utilizes the pseudonym "Grey Crow" (spelled "Grey" in the English tradition).

Djavidani has held over 12 solo photography exhibitions across Iran, North Cyprus, and Austria. His portfolio includes five video art pieces screened at 18 international festivals in Canada, the US, Chile, the UK, and India. His works Feather and Nomad were accepted into the Fine Arts Film Festival in California and won ITSO awards ("In the Spirit of Attar" and "In the Spirit of Sufism") at the Magical Charm Film Festival in New York. Additionally, his screenplay Where the City Sleeps... won Best Feature Screenplay at the Redwood Festival in California. He has also performed his monologue play, Nomad, as street theater in Vienna, Paris, and most recently in Vancouver in 2025.

Nima Faez (Damzee) Nima Faez is a designer, ideator, and contemporary artist who builds his artistic expression on the concept of "Dam-Zi" (living in the moment). For Faez, "Dam-Zi" represents an ideal state or personality that lives the "obvious secret of eternal life". He describes this concept as a "pinch" to the habits of daily life, reminding the viewer that the present moment is the only real and true space of existence.