Leila Zelli

2024 Exhibition Artist

Born in Tehran (Iran), Leila Zelli (she/her) lives and works in Montréal. She holds an MFA (2020) and a BFA (2016) in Visual and Media Arts from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Zelli is interested in the relationship that we have with the ideas of “others” and “elsewhere” and more specifically within this geopolitical space often referred to by the questionable term “Middle East.” She creates in situ digital installations using existing images, videos and texts often found on the Internet. The resulting visual and sound experiences create an opportunity to reflect on the state of the world, the relationship with the Other and the actual effect of our actions on humanity.

Her work has been shown, among others, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Collection Arts du Tout-Monde), at Dazibao (2023), the Pierre-François Ouellette Galery (2023-2021), the Bradley Ertaskiran Gallery (2020), at the Conseil des arts de Montréal (2019-2020) and at Galerie de l’UQAM (2020, 2019, 2015).Her works are part of MAC Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts collection, The Musée Pointe-à-Callière, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec’s Prêt d’oeuvres d’art collection, the Musée d’art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul collection, the collection of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the collection of Hydro Québec.
She is the laureate of the 2023 Prix Lynne-Cohen and the 2021 laureate of the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art. She is represented by Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain.

Exhibit #

Pourquoi devrais-je m’arrêter ?(Why should I stop?)

Pourquoi devrais-je m’arrêter ? (Why should I stop?) (2020-21) is a video installation shown across two screens. The work pays tribute to the resilience of Iranian women who defy the ban on practicing Varzesh-e Bâstâni in public, a traditional form of athletics. Leila highlights the women’s bravery using a video montage made from social media […]

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Exhibit #

Un chant peut traverser l’océan (A chant can cross the ocean)

Un chant peut traverser l’océan (A chant can cross the ocean) (2023-ongoing) is an in-situ stamp work on the wall which features protesting Iranian women. The artist created this work amid global demonstrations for Iran. Each artistic element reflects the chant “Woman, Life, Freedom” and meditates on women’s fight for freedom, the courage of disobedience, […]

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