Bio
Nasim Dokani is an Iranian-born artist and neuroscientist based in Melbourne, Australia. She moved to Germany with her family in the mid-1990s, where she was raised and educated. Nasim pursued academic studies in biology, molecular and medical neuroscience, as well as the history of art and architecture. She later worked in translational research at the intersection of laboratory and clinical practice before earning her Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Biophysics in 2018.
After completing her doctorate, Nasim traveled for a while across Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Since 2020, she has been based in Melbourne, where she explored the tech industry through various start-up roles while continuing to evolve her interdisciplinary artistic practice. Her work weaves together scientific understanding, spiritual inquiry, and a deep connection to nature.
Photo by mr.mellowsea
Exhibitions
2024 – “Garden Day,” St Joseph’s by the Sea, Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia
2022 – “Sacred Earth – Contemporary Art Exhibition,” St Joseph’s by the Sea, Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia
2014 – “Unendlichkeit und Bewegung” (Infinity and Movement), Café Samocca, Kleve, Germany
Science as a Gateway to Spiritual Understanding
When I first proposed integrating art into my scientific curriculum, I was met with disbelief. I was told science and art were incompatible—yet it is precisely through science that my spiritual journey began.
Studying biology, physics, and mathematics taught me how energy moves, transforms, and organizes itself across all scales of existence. I saw universal laws mirrored in the branching of neurons, the rhythm of the heart, and the spiral of galaxies. These revelations sparked a profound sense of interconnectedness—one that logic alone could not contain.
Through art, I now express these insights: the flow of energy, the elegance of patterns, and the invisible threads that link the micro to the macro, the mind to the cosmos. Science did not diminish my spirituality—it illuminated it. My work stands as a reminder that reason and intuition are not opposites but partners in the search for truth.
A Call for the Spiritual Evolution of Science
Emotions Are Not the Enemy of Science—They’re Guides to Deeper Truth
My years in science and medical research gave me profound insights—but they also sparked deep personal reflection. I witnessed the incredible potential of discovery, yet also the emotional burden carried by those within the system. In laboratories and clinics, I saw how many scientists and physicians slowly disconnect from their emotions to cope with the demands of their work: the ethical weight of animal experimentation, the heartbreak of being unable to truly help patients facing devastating illnesses, the relentless pressure to produce measurable results, secure funding, and build a career.
This emotional dissociation isn’t failure—it’s a form of survival. But over time, I realized that turning off our feelings comes at a cost. I didn’t want to become numb or cynical. I began to understand that emotions are not enemies of objectivity, but allies of truth. They are intuitive messengers, pointing us toward a more holistic understanding of ourselves and the world.
It’s Time for a Science That Respects Life, Feels Deeply, and Sees the Whole
The clinical, sterile environment of traditional science often requires a detachment that left me questioning its deeper purpose. I once performed animal experiments—slicing and staining brains, inserting electrodes into the brains of living animals, all in the name of scientific progress. I followed the rationale that this was necessary for the “greater good”—but inside, I felt like a murderer. Over time, I came to see that the same truths about biology and neurology can be discovered through mindful observation of the natural world. By watching how a plant responds to sunlight or to gentle touch, we can glimpse the fundamental principles of energy flow and neural function—without causing harm.
Science has accomplished great things, but it has also reached a limit. The classical materialist paradigm, which divides body from mind, matter from spirit, and knowledge into isolated disciplines, no longer serves our deeper search for meaning. It ignores the sacred interconnectedness of life.
My path has since shifted toward a more integrative perspective—rooted in nature, mindfulness, and emotional presence. I believe science must evolve—not by abandoning its rigor, but by embracing wholeness. By integrating ethical responsibility, intuitive intelligence, and spiritual insight, science can become not just a tool for knowledge, but a vehicle for wisdom—more humane, more conscious, and ultimately, more aligned with the truth of who we are.