Istanbul, Türkiye – Leila Heller Gallery is pleased to announce its participation in Contemporary Istanbul 2026, presenting a selection of works by Afsane Nangar, Aslı Dündar Özcan, Canan, Darvish Fakhr, Karima Al Shomely, Kevork Mourad, Maryam Lamei, Melis Buyruk, and Reza Derakshani at Booth B110.
The presentation brings together painting, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, and works on paper, exploring themes of identity, mythology, memory, freedom, intimacy, cultural heritage, and the relationship between the individual and the surrounding world. Bringing together artists from different cultural and artistic contexts, the presentation reflects the gallery’s ongoing commitment to creating dialogues across regions and generations.
Among the highlights are two large-scale paintings by Afsane Nangar, Awakening and Untitled, both created in 2026 and measuring 200 x 200 cm. Nangar’s paintings engage with atmospheric and introspective imagery, creating spaces that invite contemplation and emotional reflection.
The presentation also features a selection of works by Turkish artist Aslı Dündar Özcan, whose sculptural practice engages with questions of freedom, social structures, and the human condition. Her works include Kirin Zincirlerinizi Kizlar / Girls, Break Free and Toi Adam Rejimi / Fullocracy, both monumental aerated-concrete sculptures measuring 200 cm in height, alongside the more intimate works Ucleme / Trilogy and Ozgurlukte Uyu / Rest in Freedom, which combine aerated concrete with stainless steel and glass.
A significant part of the presentation is dedicated to Canan, whose multidisciplinary practice draws on mythology, folklore, spirituality, gender, and intimate human relationships. The selection includes Şahmaran “Shahmaran” (2011), a work combining ink, gold, and photography, as well as works from the Lovers Series, including Divine Love, Leyla ile Mecnun / Leila and Mejnun, Swing, and Endless Love. Through mixed media, three-dimensional boxes, and light boxes, Canan creates richly symbolic works that connect cultural narratives with contemporary reflections on love, desire, and identity.
Darvish Fakhr is represented through a selection of recent oil paintings on linen, including Artic Dreams, Caspien Skiier, Cotton Candy, Jasmin, and Time Traveler. Across these works, Fakhr combines figurative imagery with references to memory, place, and contemporary experience, presenting scenes that move between the familiar and the imagined.
The presentation further highlights the ceramic practice of Karima Al Shomely, with works including Kandoura Gowen and a series of Jalabia sculptures. Drawing from forms associated with clothing and cultural identity, the ceramic works translate familiar elements of Emirati visual and material culture into contemporary sculptural objects.
Kevork Mourad presents The Wounded Bird (2026), a large-scale work measuring 80 inches in height and 45 inches in diameter. Created using acrylic and ink on cotton fabric and incorporating hand-cut elements in two layers, the work reflects Mourad’s distinctive approach to combining drawing, cutting, and sculptural installation.
Maryam Lamei contributes We are two windows facing each other, knowing every whisper and every silence we share, a 100 x 200 cm acrylic on canvas. The work continues Lamei’s engagement with poetic imagery and layered visual narratives, using painting as a space for reflection on connection, memory, and emotional experience.
The presentation includes five works by Melis Buyruk, whose sculptural practice in porcelain explores organic forms and the relationship between fragility and permanence. The selection encompasses works ranging from intimate sculptural pieces to a large 245 x 165 cm work, demonstrating the breadth of scale and form within Buyruk’s practice.
The presentation concludes with Reza Derakshani’s Every Night, Every Twilight (2025–2026), a monumental 180 x 250 cm painting created using oil, tar, enamel, and shellac on canvas. Derakshani’s layered approach to painting brings together material experimentation and a deep engagement with abstraction, landscape, and poetic sensibility.
Through its presentation at Contemporary Istanbul 2026, Leila Heller Gallery continues its commitment to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and presenting artists whose practices engage with questions of identity, heritage, memory, freedom, and contemporary experience. The booth brings together diverse artistic languages while highlighting the connections between material, narrative, and cultural memory.