Leyla Emadi

I was born in Ankara in 1977 as an Iranian, in the most politically and ideologically complex years of the two countries.

On the one hand, the obligatory things of the changing regime brings in to my life –perhaps, takes – on the other hand, military coups and years of oppression. Years of confusion and endless chaos in both environments. Being exposed to oppression and differences of opinions in the middle of these two countries, which have been spending more or less the same periods with each other, has formed the basis of my art. On the other hand, the richness brought by being a bi-patriot and the search for identity that permeates the soul from time to time have manifested themselves in my productions.

In my works, I tried to reveal the underlying gender inequality, the phenomenon of (in)justice,  ideological and stereotyped thought structures of our social wounds with different mediums such as fabric, printing techniques, paint, metal and concrete.

In recent years, I have handled my productions based on the concept of trauma by blending concrete and typography with both our social and individual sensitivities. Since we reveal ourselves, our stance, our view of life, and our communication with the person in front of us because of ‘language’; words and sayings are important building blocks that make us who we are. For this reason, combining the overwhelming dominance of the language with typography and concrete, which is a hard material, has led me to present the message I want to convey directly and strongly.

Since 2000, I have continued to work and produce  in my own studio and exhibit my artworks both in Istanbul and in different countries.