Leili Tehrani Walker

Leili (b. 1995, Sydney) is a Melbourne-based artist working across a variety of media: painting, digital and tapestry. Their works explore themes of identity and self-hood, drawing on their personal history and cultural background. Raised in Sydney’s Kings Cross on stories of their ancestral homeland Shiraz, Leili’s work examines the delineation of identities. An assemblage of memory, talismans and symbols, each painting employs personal history as a foundation for inquiry into the relationship between Self and Other. 
Leili completed studies in phenomenology and pure mathematics at the University of Melbourne. They are particularly interested in the phenomenological concept of Intentionality: by constructing alternate realities of memory and symbol, Leili invites inquiry into this process of self-realisation and identity. 

Leili’s works are primarily constructed with acrylic, gouache & sprays. In the spirit of the Saqqakhana tradition, they combine Western stylistic traditions with the symbolism, ornamentation and geometry of Persian miniatures, Shi’ite architecture and Islamic geometry to devise a distinct visual language. Rigid geometry is used as an expression of the divine, whilst colour and altered perspective interrogate the oft contradictory experience of the Self. Rather than lament these contradictions, however, Leili’s work celebrates the opportunity they create for the imagining of alternative truths and the creation of alternative worlds. The experience of these alternate realities invites the viewer to respond intuitively to the environment & experience self-hood through Intentionality. 

As well as having exhibited at Backwoods Gallery, Forty Five Downstairs, Tinning St Presents and Platform Arts Geelong, Leili has a keen interest in working with stakeholders to produce community-led public art. They are currently a resident at Pink Ember Studios, Coburg.