As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its fourth week, neighboring Gulf states, are projecting an image of normalcy, with many galleries and museums reopening. It’s a sharp contrast to the scale of destruction in Iran & Lebanon, where American & Israeli strikes have devastated cultural heritage sites.

Bombs continue to drop on Iran and Lebanon, enveloping the beloved hometown of diasporic artist Leila Seyedzadeh in smoke. “My mind, as an immigrant, keeps flying back across oceans, circling the same sky over the Alborz Mountains where my body once belonged,” she writes.

Mapping the air between peaks, 2025, hand dyed silk, hand dyed fringe, found fabric, aluminum and steel rods, A-clamps, stone, ribbon, dimensions variable.

There’s a quiet current running through the gallery, and it’s called Velvet River. ✨✨✨ If you haven’t seen "Under the Sky, Above the Sea" yet, it’s on display until May 18 at the Visual Art Center of New Jersey. 📸 Brian Galderisi

Join me for a special night! ✨ I’m thrilled to invite you to the opening of my solo exhibition “Under the Sky, Above the Sea” featuring my new textile installation, Velvet River, curated by Jordan Horton. The opening is on Friday, February 7th, from 7 - 9 PM at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.