About Leila

Leila Farhan is a mixed media artist from Atlanta, Georgia. She was born and raised by two Iranian immigrants, and her artwork is primarily influenced by her upbringing as a first generation Iranian-American. Leila has been heavily exposed to Middle Eastern art and design through her visits to Iran as a child. She was always intrigued by Persian rugs and tilework, whirling dervishes, as well as the detailed accents on the domes of mosques. These artistic details reminded her of her heritage and made her want to produce such detailed work of her own. 

Leila's collection “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi” honors the beauty of the religion in art with its geometric shapes, bold colors, poetic curving scripture, and Islamic iconography. She uses harsh geometric backgrounds and bold colors to contrast from the political and religious issues, cultural repression, and womens’ rights in Iran. The five women in each piece represent the fearless young women who stand on the front-lines against the oppressive regime. This revolution has empowered Leila to showcase her identity as an Iranian woman. Each piece she has created evokes strength, resistance, and most importantly the largest anti-government protest led by women in the world. In each sunglass lens is a reflection of the future in Iran, a future where a couple can freely kiss in public, where all religions are celebrated, where women can wear whatever they please, and even dance on the streets. 

Islamic patterns and designs are integrated into all of Leila’s art pieces. Her colorful triptych, Whirling, depicts the traditional Sufi dance reimagined as a spiritual achievement through the freedom of movement as a collective entity of individual power and autonomy over one's own body. The dance exists as a physical meditation to seek truth, love, divine knowledge, and create a sense of disconnect from the material world. Unlike the typical dervish dressed in all white, Leila wanted to emphasize the intricacy of patterns from this region of the world using traditional textile processes. Even her hand-woven fabrics were inspired by the decorative vaulting of Islamic architecture. 

As a young artist, Leila plans to continue to share her stories and Iranian culture through an artistic lens, juxtaposing the country’s beauty and hope with its harsh political oppression.