WHAT'S ON - Leila Heller Gallery
- Art Salon Team
- Apr 28
- 5 min read
Naeemeh Kazemi
Bubble Land
15 APR - 15 SEPT 2025
Leila Heller Gallery is delighted to announce the upcoming solo exhibition by Naeemeh Kazemi, titled 'Bubble Land’ opening on 15th April, 2025.
‘Bubble Land’ unveils the ocean into a theatrical, disorienting space filled with bioluminescent creatures, clown-like figures, and confetti-like bubbles. Through her hyper-detailed oil paintings, Kazemi transforms the deep sea into a metaphor for modern existence where joy and anxiety coexist, and spectacle conceals fragility.
Naeemeh Kazemi presents a profound shift from the introspection of La La Land to an outward confrontation with the absurdities of contemporary life in Bubble Land. Her clown-like figures, reminiscent of Ensor’s masks or Picasso’s harlequins, oscillate between the grotesque and the sublime, mirroring the societal dissonance between outward performance and inner turmoil. And yet, within the chaos, there is a quiet offering: a space to pause, reflect, and immerse in a universe that resists simplification.
The artist’s distinctive approach to visual storytelling lies in her ability to blend hyperrealism with dreamlike distortion. Her mastery of oil paint and textural erosion gives each work a tactile depth, drawing the viewer into a world that feels both fantastical and unsettlingly real. In Bubble Land, every detail no matter how small is intentional, serving as a fragment of a larger, immersive universe where beauty and unease intertwine.
Bubble Land invites viewers into a richly layered world, where canvases are densely packed with symbols, creatures, and textures that blur the line between reality and illusion. Kazemi challenges us to slow down, look closer, and engage deeply with her intricate narratives. In this immersive underwater realm, escape is possible but only by surrendering fully to its depths.
Morteza Khazaie
Upside Down
15 APR - 15 SEPT 2025
Leila Heller Gallery is delighted to announce the upcoming solo exhibition by Morteza Khazaie, titled "Upside Down" opening on 15th April, 2025.
“Upside Down” reflects the changes and transformations occurring both within individuals and society. The collection is inspired by nature, particularly by trees that bend in the face of wind and storms yet do not break. These trees, with their curved forms, symbolize resilience and flexibility; just as in life, people too change under pressure and harsh conditions, being guided towards new paths.
Morteza Khazaie delves into the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength. Known for his poetic and deeply emotive approach to form and material, Khazaie captures the essence of human resilience through organic, sculptural works. His unique craftsmanship and thoughtful use of wood create pieces that are both grounded and transformative, resonating with the themes of survival, adaptation, and silent strength.
In “Upside Down,” the curved forms of trees are employed as symbols of adaptation and growth against the prevailing currents. Additionally, wood as a natural and living material imbues the works with a sense of life and dynamism. The use of wood in this collection, much like the trees, conveys a connection with nature and life, as wood originates from nature’s heart and carries the stories and experiences of time.
These works invite reflection on how one can bend in the face of adversity without breaking, emerging from hardships into new beauty. “Upside Down” tells a story of an inner journey that, while looking back at the past and social changes, is beautifully depicted through artistic expression.
Reza Derakshani
I Paint Your Grace, I Paint Your Pain, I Paint Love
17 MAR - 15 SEPT 2025
Leila Heller Gallery is delighted to announce the upcoming solo exhibition by renowned Persian-American artist, Reza Derakshani, titled 'I Paint Your Grace, I Paint Your Pain, I Paint Love’ opening on 17th March, 2025.
‘I Paint Your Grace, I Paint Your Pain, I Paint Love’ , unveils a compelling selection of never-before-exhibited works that delve into themes of memory, identity, and transformation. Marking his first solo exhibition in half a decade, the show presents artworks from three of his acclaimed series: The Hunt / Riders, Day and Night / Fig Leaf, and Migration / Grey Zone. In these works, past and present converge, offering a rare glimpse into Derakshani’s artistic vision where form, color, and narrative intertwine in a profound exploration of the human experience.
Derakshani’s work bridges Persian artistic traditions with personal and socio-political themes. His Hunting series, inspired by Persian miniatures and poetry, reflects both medieval grandeur and memories of his childhood in northeastern Iran. Horses, a recurring motif, symbolize freedom, their elongated forms emerging through intricate layers of color. More than a literal chase, the hunt serves as a metaphor for humanity’s endless pursuit of meaning, power, and transcendence.
The Day and Night / Fig Leaf series similarly explores the dualities that shape human existence, light and darkness, presence and absence, ornamentation and ambiguity. These paintings weave together Persian metaphors of paradise, where lush garden imagery evokes communal gatherings and the afterlife. Derakshani’s expressive brushstrokes, bold colors, and luxurious metallic paints create a visual tension between materiality and transcendence, positioning his craft as both an aesthetic and spiritual endeavor.
Derakshani reflects on displacement, cultural identity, and modernity through his Migration / Grey Zone series. Shaped by his movement across artistic and geographic landscapes, his work embodies a deep engagement with the Western canon. Despite encountering its masterpieces later in life, his artistic development was profoundly influenced by the rich cultural environment of pre-revolutionary Iran. His work blends abstraction and figuration to explore the fluidity of belonging, memory, place, and identity. The turtle, symbolizing migration and endurance, and subtle cartographic references to Iran evoke a nostalgic and complex relationship with homeland.
Reza Derakshani’s ability to interweave historical symbolism with contemporary expression solidifies his position as a master artist. His work is an ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation, personal history and collective memory. ‘I Paint Your Grace, I Paint Your Pain, I Paint Love’ invites viewers into a space where painting is both poetic and political, a site of beauty and existential contemplation.
About Leila Heller Gallery
In 2015, Leila Heller opened the Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai, its first international location in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue. At 16,500 square feet and 32-foot ceilings, it is a state-of-the-art gallery that features three exhibition spaces, making it the largest gallery in the Middle East. Showcasing leading regional and international artists, many of whom will be presenting their work in the Middle East for the first time, the gallery is dedicated to supporting the evolving practice of established artists. The gallery has strong innovative curatorial and educational programs with an emphasis on promoting a dialogue between Western and Middle Eastern artists.
(Source: http://www.leilahellergallery.com/about)
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 11 am – 7 pm
Address: Leila Heller Gallery, I-87, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1 - Dubai
