Leila Pazooki
b. 1977, Iran

"My message is about healing and rethinking. It is about collective healing, collective rethinking and collective empathy."

Berlin-based renowned Iranian visual artist Leila Pazooki's multimedia body of works address political, social and personal motifs across cultures. Alternating between the worlds of Iran and Europe, Leila's work transcends borders both physical and imagined. Represented by Leila Heller Gallery, Leila’s strong messaging behind her acclaimed neon series challenges conventional stereotypes. Through her creative experimentation with painting, video, photography, and installation, Leila creates bold statements that tackle issues such as misinformation and distorted belief systems. Leila was educated at the National Art Academy of Tehran, The Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and The Berlin University of Arts.

In the past decade, Leila’s works have gained international recognition participating in major museums and art fairs around the world. These include: 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.

Education

2009 Postgraduate M.A, “Art in Context”, UDK, Universitat der Kunste , Berlin, Germany
2007 M.A. in Sculpture, KHB, Weissensee Kunst Hochschoule, Berlin, Germany
2002 M.A in New Media, Akademie der Bildenden Kunste, Munich, Germany
2000 Bachelor of Arts in Painting, State University of Arts, Tehran, Iran

Solo Exhibitions

2016 'Jelly state of matter', Brot Kunsthalle Vienna, Austria
2012 'Magical Thoughts', Langgeng Art Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2011 'Untitled', Gallery Ernst Hilger, Hilger Contemporary, Vienna, Austria
2011 'Fair Trade', Gallery Christian Hosp, Berlin, Germany
2009 'Two Minute Photo', B21 Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2009 'Pixel Diary', Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2006 Nina Menocal Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico 2004 Photocollage, Silkroad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2003 Hydromania, photography/video Installation, Silkroad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
1998 Barg Gallery, Tehran, Iran
1996 Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran

Group Exhibitions

2024 'Boundless, Binding', Subliminal Projects x Emergeast, Los Angeles, USA
2020-2019 'Fragile Frontiers: Visions on Iran's in/visible borders' , Yarat Art Museum , Baku, Azerbaijan
2019 'FOREIGN AFFAIRS', art perspectives Pop-up Galerie , Berlin, Germany
2017 'CRANACH. MEISTER − MARKE − MODERNE', Museum Kunstpalast , Düsseldorf, Germany
2016 'Lucas Cranach the Elder: 500 Years of the Power of Temptation', The National Museum of Western Art, NMWA, Tokyo, Japan
2013 'A bomb with a ribbon around it', Queens Museum, New York, USA
2013 The Space Between: Contemporary perspectives on tradition and society, Middle East Center for the Arts (MECA), Jersey City, NJ
2012 Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, Roaming Images, Thessaloniki, Greece
2012 The Global Contemporary Art Worlds After 1989, ZKM Museum, Berlin, Germany
2012 Westend, Museum of the Seam, Jerusalem, Israel
2012 Elephant in the Dark, Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi, India
2012 New Positions, Participant Finalist, Art Cologne, Cologne, Italy
2011 See the Light, Louis Vitton Boutique, Hong Kong, China
2010 Illumination, Leila Heller Gallery, New York, NY
2010 Bild texte - text Bilder, Ernst Hilger Gallery, Vienna, Austria
2010 'One Year', Gallery Christian Hosp, Berlin, Germany
2010 Photo Album, ‘The Archivist’s Impatience’, The LOFT, Mumbai, India
2009 The Augmented Flaws, Kunstagenten Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2009 'Promise of Loss', Ernst Hillger Gallery, Vienna, Austria
2009 'Iran Inside Out', the Chelsea Art Museum in collaboration with Leila Heller, New York, NY
2008 Bay Area Now 5, Yerba Buena Centre for Art, San Francisco, CA
2008 Conportamientos, Muestra Internacional de Video-Arte, Cali Contemporaneo, Cali, Colombia
2008 'Ey! Iran', Contemporary Iranian Photography and Video, Touring exhibition, New Zealand and Australia
2007 'Parallel Moments', House of Iranian Artists, Azad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2007 'Persian Vision', touring exhibition in the USA
2006 'Close Up II', video projection in the streets of the centre of Mexico City, Casa Vecina, Mexico
2006 'Pomegranate -Tehran', DGB Haus Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2004 IRÁN BAJO LA PIEL, Casa Asia, CCCB, Barcelona, Spain
2004 Second Iranian Photography Biennial, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran

Selected Collections

Devi Art Foundation, India
Nadour Collection, Germany
Langgeng Art Foundation, Indonesia
Boghossian Foundation, Belgium
Farook Collection, Traffic Art Center, UAE
Salsali Private Museum, UAE

Leila Pazooki b. 1977, Iran

"My message is about healing and rethinking. It is about collective healing, collective rethinking and collective empathy."

Leila Pazooki
b. 1977, Iran