As an emerging interdisciplinary artist, Navid’s practice centers around four primary research areas. One major area of exploration involves the potential of staged photography with a particular focus on human body as a site of individuality and expression to dissect, explore and articulate the cultural, social and existential conditions, like cross-cultural issues. he positions this exploration as a way to investigate the role and significance of images within contemporary culture. in parallel, he examines the integration of staged photography with street photography, seeking to capture individuals with diverse backgrounds while exploring how architecture and atmosphere influence perception and the viewer’s emotional response. His process in staged photography often borrows from theatrical practice: before the camera is even engaged, performers are guided through embodied rehearsals designed to align them with the conceptual and emotional atmosphere of the work. This performative approach not only enriches the resulting imagery but also deepens the performers’ interaction with architectural settings, painterly references, and the emotional textures of each scene.

Another key strand of his practice investigates the dynamic relationship between photography and other visual art forms with a particular emphasis on painting. his research explores how integration of paintings -both physically and conceptually- within his photographs can enrich and deepen the conceptual narrative. Currently, he is examining how the physical and conceptual incorporation of art works by Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, Mark Rothko and Francis Bacon can introduce additional layers of psychological and narrative complexity to his photographs, as well as to his video art and performance. this ongoing body of work seeks to address themes related to American identity, atmosphere, cultural and social conditions, while also engaging broader transcultural questions. in parallel, he is developing a documentary portrait series to explore how using a specific painting in a portrait photo can enhance the viewer’s understanding of the subject’s identity and inner life.

In addition, Navid seeks to expand the boundaries of photography beyond the still image, exploring its intersections with time, space and movement through installation art, video art and performance. He approaches this multidisciplinary practice as a means to foster deeper engagement with the subject matter, offering a more profound and comprehensive understanding of the theme he explores. He strives to develop each idea across three distinct mediums—photography, video, and performance—conceiving this triad as a personal triptych through which his concepts are fully realized and explored.

A further dimension of his practice is rooted in the use of analog photography as a medium capable of capturing the raw and elemental truths of social, cultural, and existential human conditions. He is particularly drawn to the physicality of the analog process—the direct interaction between light and material—which, in his view, produces an image that feels immediate, tactile, and grounded in reality. Metaphorically positioning himself as a surgeon, he approaches his artistic process as one of careful dissection and revelation: just as a surgeon cuts into the body to diagnose and heal, he seeks to expose and articulate the complexities of the human condition through the photographic act. He draws conceptual parallels between the processes of shooting, developing, and printing a roll of film and the stages of a surgical procedure, noting their shared atmosphere and materiality. Furthermore, he envisions this analog-based practice as a framework that can be expanded into performance and video art, reinforcing its experiential and investigative nature.