Untitled, 2023, Acrylic on canvas and crystals, 34 x 22 cm
Dubai, UAE – Leila Heller Gallery is pleased to announce Berlin-based renowned Iranian visual artist Leila Pazooki's solo show, Unyielding Essences: “A Feminine Odyssey Through Matter and Soul", opening on 21st September 2023.
In this exhibition the artist invites you to embark on a journey exploring the profound relationship between humans, especially women, and the enigmatic world of objects, stones, and minerals. "Unyielding Essences" delves into the idea of euphoric maternal relationship or, where the Female's love manifests through unconventional acts of affection for the material world. Where through unconditional love and pain, sudden change in the meaning of each object occurs in her world.
Our modern society, in an alarming postcolonial act, tends to misuse the essence of motherhood; by misusing, normalizing and banalising the unconditional love, hormonal instincts, and biological urges that drive mothers. Amid an increasingly cold and mechanistic society, mothers find themselves misunderstood and irrelevant to society, yet serving as anonymous but crucial social workers in every culture.
"Unyielding Essences" also draws parallels to women's historical roles as healers, magicians, alchemists, doctors, and clowns within society. For far too long, women's powers and passions have been misinterpreted and limited, preventing them from fully expressing their true potential.
Leila Pazooki's work aims to shed light on the intricate, the non-materialistic and perhaps celestial connections between women and the material world, urging viewers to reflect on the profound power and resilience that women possess. "Unyielding Essences" beckons us to question our societal norms, challenge the misconceptions surrounding humanity and its relationship with the world nurturing and surrounding us; and embrace the multifaceted essence of women as nurturers, healers, and agents of positive change in our world.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Leila Pazooki was born in 1977 in Iran. She studied painting at the National Art Academy in Tehran following the Islamic Revolution and continued her education at The Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. After a stint in Mexico, Pazooki currently resides in Berlin, where she also pursued a Master’s Degree at the Berlin University of Arts.
In the past decade, Leila’s works have gained international recognition by participating in major museums and art fairs around the world. These include the Museum of Western Art Tokyo, Moscow Biennale, ZKM Museum, a solo exhibition at Young Artist of Art Hong Kong 2011, a solo exhibition at New Positions at Art Cologne and the Thessaloniki Contemporary Art Museum, and a group show at Mana Contemporary, the Middle East Center for the Arts (MECA) in collaboration with Leila Heller Gallery.
