Nazanin Djavaheri is a cultural worker born in Iran. She currently lives in Belgium and is the driving force behind ZikZak.
She began her career in theatre in Tehran (Iran). From the age of 19, driven by a passion for theatre and film, she played several small roles in Les Misérables. She then worked on various professional theatre productions, including: Soltan Maar, Shabi dar Teheran, Madame Pipi, Viennese Tales, Poof and Badansazi, and Medea.
Meanwhile, she was also active in the film industry, working as part of Rakhshan Banietemad’s team. She then worked as her assistant on the screenings of the documentary film Roozegare-ma. Subsequently, she held various roles (casting, costume design, etc.) on several film productions: Vakonesh Panjom, Zendan Zanan, Chai Talk, and Yek Shahr Yek Ensan.
In 2002, she produced her own children’s film. Around 2005, she decided to start working as a freelancer in her own studio as a graphic designer. Until 2008, she worked for various clients and also won first prize as best designer for the poster and brochure for the Isfahan Children’s Theatre Festival.
In 2008, she moved to Belgium and, like many newcomers, began working in various sectors and roles. Over a period of two years, she studied Cultural Management at the University of Antwerp, volunteered with children at cultural organisations, and held various roles at different social organisations, including as a coordinator for an ESF employment project in Brussels and as a coordinating coach for the Cultuurverkenners project in Antwerp.
At the same time, she also ran her own creative workshop for children and adults at coStA in Antwerp, and organised her own international art exhibition, FRESH AIR, for coStA at De Winkelhaak in Antwerp.
ZikZak was founded in mid-2020. This was a major new step forward for her, marking a return to her own passion and career after 12 years, but with additional insights and experiences gained from the social sector. She is driven by her belief in diversity, in which every person is diverse and unique, and through her work she aims to contribute to the opportunities and perspectives that diversity can bring to our society.
