

Mehdi Farhadian
Encounter, 2025
Acrylic on canvas
60 x 45 cm | 23 x 17 in.

Naeemeh Kazemi
Prelude to Futureland, 2024-2025
Oil on Canvas
Left Panel: 160 x 85 cm
Center Panel: 160 x 160 cm
Right Panel: 160 x 85 cm

Behrang Samadzadegan
Flames and Flowers No.3, 2024
Watercolor on Cotton Paper
76 x 180 cm

Behrang Samadzadegan
Flames and Flowers No.2, 2024
Watercolor on Cotton Paper
76 x 180 cm

Morteza Khazei
Untitled, 2025
Painted Wood
15.7 x 5.5 x 5.5 in. / 40 x 14 x 14 cm each

Soraya Sharghi
Tales of Hidden Garden, 2024
Acrylic, Khatam, and Resin on Canvas
54 x 54 in.

Darvish Fakhr
Lufy, 2025
Oil on Linen, Ornamental Easel
10 x 10 cm.

Darvish Fakhr
Senegal Glide, 2025
Oil on Linen
43 x 50.7 cm.

Darvish Fakhr
Downtime, 2025
Oil on Linen
39 x 31 cm.

Darvish Fakhr
Princess of Palestine, 2025
Oil on Linen
40 x 50 cm.

Darvish Fakhr
High Tea, 2025
Oil on Linen
40 x 50 cm.

Darvish Fakhr
Fresh Air, 2025
Oil on Linen
40 x 50 cm.

Falling Crown, 2025
Mixed media on canvas
48 x 48 in. | 122 x 122 cm

Reza Derakshani
Blue Rain Fig Day, 2025
Oil, enamel and tar on canvas
200 x 120 cm | 78 x 47 in.

Farideh Lashai
Leyla va Majnun, 2008-2010
200 x 320 cm (78 ¾ x 126 in.)
Video, Oil on Canvas
Edition of 3 + 2 AP, Unique Painting
New York, NY – Leila Heller Gallery and Roya Khadjavi Projects are delighted to announce the group exhibition “Playful Oblivion,” opening on 22nd January 2026.
The exhibition brings together artists of Iranian heritage working in the diaspora to explore identity and belonging. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and installation, “Playful Oblivion” examines how memory, architecture, the body, myth, and personal narrative evolve across borders and generations. Rather than positioning past and present in opposition, the artists inhabit the space between them. Tradition and experimentation coexist, and fragility becomes a source of resilience. Together, these voices form a powerful collective meditation on endurance, belonging, and the creative possibilities that emerge when cultures evolve through time and space.
ARTISTS
Aida Izadpanah | Aref Montazeri | Arash Nazari | Atieh Sohrabi | Azadieh Nia | Bahar Behbahani | Bahar Sabzevari | Baran Shafiey | Behrang Samadzadegan | Dana Nehdaran | Darvish | Farideh Lashai | Farshid Shafiey | Farsad Labbauf | Firooz Zahedi | Leyla Khosrowshahi | Maryam Khosrovani | Maryam Lamei | Maryam Palizgir | Mehdi Farhadian | Morteza Khazaie | Morteza Khosravi | Naeemeh Kazemi | Navid Azimi Sajadi | Parastoo Ahovan | Parinaz Eleish Gharagozlou | Reza Derakshani | Roham Shamekh | Roya Akhavan | Soraya Sharghi | The Safarani Sisters | Tooraj Khamenehzadeh | Zahra Nazari