Lovers of Apadana
A new collection of work by Bita Ghezelayagh
6 October - 5 December
2018
Leighton House Museum presents The Lovers
of Apadana, a new collection of work by international
acclaimed artist, Bita Ghezelayagh.
Bita uses traditional textiles to explore universal themes
of love and war whilst also paying attention to the small
dissonances that colour our everyday lives.
Her work is influenced by traditional Iranian
arts, especially feltmaking, which she believes is lost in
contemporary Iran and one that through her practice, she aims to
preserve.
In this latest body of work, she deploys her
trademark textiles of velvet, silk, felt and carpet fragments, in
masterful and inventive ways, transforming them into abstract
shapes and courting lovers.
Lovers of Apadana (detail), handmade
velvet, carpet, silk embroidery
Bita Ghezelayagh was born in Florence, Italy
in 1966 and now lives in London. In 1984, she went to Paris to
study architecture at the Ecole Nationale Superiore d'Architecture
de Paris La Villette, where she received an MA. She then went to
Tehran in 1994, to work in building restoration for the Association
of Iranian Calligraphers in Tehran. She
has also worked as an art director of three
notable Iranian films, including The Pear Tree (Derakhte
Golabi) by Dariush Mehrjui.
The ingredients of Ghezelayagh’s work
may be Middle Eastern, but the flavours are universal and
understandable to all. Bita's international appeal is
demonstrated by the breadth of institutions that hold her work in
their permanent collections, including the British Museum, the
Jameel Foundation in Saudi Arabia, the Farjam Foundation in Dubai,
the Devi Art Foundation in Delhi and the Lajeverdi Foundation in
Tehran.
ARTIST'S TALKS on Monday 12
and Friday 23 November 2018, 7-8pm; doors open at 6:30pm
BOOK TICKETS
Download the Press
Release [PDF] (230 KB)