Leila Tanhaei (b. 1999, Rasht, Iran) is a painter and multidisciplinary artist with a background in architecture.
She initially studied mathematics and physics before earning her first bachelor’s degree in architecture in her hometown. She is currently pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in Painting at RUFA.
Working across various mediums, including painting, multimedia, and Installation art, her work explores the struggles of humanity and cultural identity. Using diverse materials, she evokes deep emotional responses, navigating themes of resilience, emotional values, and collective struggle.
Through her art, she thoughtfully examines the complexities of human existence and cultural heritage.
I’ve learned that to live is to resist, and to survive is to fight battles you didn’t choose. Every moment holds both pain and resilience, collapse and creation. In the details of Persian carpets, faded tiles, and the everyday lives of people, there is a quiet persistence—a story of balancing between breaking and continuing, of the beauty that survives and the wounds that shape it. The destiny of Iranians is woven into their carpets and tiles. Growing up surrounded by their beauty while witnessing their decay reflects the fate of both Iranians and their legacy.
May this be a tribute to that magnificent self-breaking.