Leila Seyedzadeh's Textile Installation at Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

Leila Seyedzadeh's exhibition 'Under the Sky, Above the Sea' at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey transforms the gallery with a textile installation exploring home, familiarity, and sense of place. The interdisciplinary artist creates landscapes from views and memories of Tehran, using fabric since 2015 to construct textile paintings. Her work incorporates sewing, mending, and dyeing skills learned from her mother, with upcycled fabrics arranged to resemble natural scenes including the Alborz Mountain range. Persian carpets and jajims (blanket-like rugs) are central, reflecting Iranian craft traditions and memories of walking on them barefoot. She draws on Chador Namazes (prayer veils) worn by Shia women with floral patterns, and Persian miniature paintings' texture, color, and simultaneous two-dimensional and panoramic perspectives. The installation serves as memory work, fostering safety and security through mountain scenery. Visitors become part of the interior landscape as they move through the gallery. The curatorial text is by Jordan Horton. The work includes 'Velvet River' (2025) with rope, silk, hand-dyed cloth, and Persian rugs.