Theatre
I WISH, WE WISH… Zahra Hakim
Kaserne Basel
Kasernenhof 8, 4058 Basel
Zahra Hakim reinterprets the Iranian tradition Nazri through a participatory performance where food, spices, writing and drawing become a shared act of collective creation.
Hakim presents a contemporary reinterpretation of Nazri, a deeply rooted Iranian tradition in which a person, after having a wish fulfilled, vows to express their gratitude through an act of selfless giving. This promise often takes the form of preparing large quantities of food together with family and neighbours. It is a collective act of generosity in which the community gathers not only to share a meal but also to actively participate in its preparation.
In this participatory performance, food is understood not merely as nourishment but as a medium for creating a shared experience. The audience is invited to complete the work by adding the final layers to the dishes—dried mint, rose petals, cinnamon, and nuts—as well as by writing or drawing. This gesture dissolves the traditional hierarchy between host and guest, replacing passive spectatorship with an active process of collective creation.
///
This event takes place as part of "Culinary Infrastructures" and "Super Saturday". Before the performance, the talk Die Küche als Infrastruktur für Gemeinschaft with Monika Schärer, Alexandra Stäheli and Nina Šikić will take place.
///
Geneva-based artist Zahra Hakim (b. 1983), born into an Iraqi migrant family in Iran, draws on her own life trajectory to develop a practice shaped by narratives of exile, displacement, new beginnings, and diasporic experience. Dreams occupy a central place in her work, functioning as conceptual spaces where reality and imagination converge, and where personal and collective histories unfold. In 2025, she participated in the Swiss Art Awards and was awarded the Prix Art Humanité, which includes a residency at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. In 2024, she received the Inspire Art Award and completed a residency at La Becque.
In this participatory performance, food is understood not merely as nourishment but as a medium for creating a shared experience. The audience is invited to complete the work by adding the final layers to the dishes—dried mint, rose petals, cinnamon, and nuts—as well as by writing or drawing. This gesture dissolves the traditional hierarchy between host and guest, replacing passive spectatorship with an active process of collective creation.
///
This event takes place as part of "Culinary Infrastructures" and "Super Saturday". Before the performance, the talk Die Küche als Infrastruktur für Gemeinschaft with Monika Schärer, Alexandra Stäheli and Nina Šikić will take place.
///
Geneva-based artist Zahra Hakim (b. 1983), born into an Iraqi migrant family in Iran, draws on her own life trajectory to develop a practice shaped by narratives of exile, displacement, new beginnings, and diasporic experience. Dreams occupy a central place in her work, functioning as conceptual spaces where reality and imagination converge, and where personal and collective histories unfold. In 2025, she participated in the Swiss Art Awards and was awarded the Prix Art Humanité, which includes a residency at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. In 2024, she received the Inspire Art Award and completed a residency at La Becque.