Morteza Khosravi: The Floating Table

Morteza Khosravi is a painter and draftsman whose work focuses on figurative drawing and the experience of engaging with art. He began studying graphics at the School of Art of Aref Bojnordi at the age of sixteen, gaining early recognition in local and national festivals. Khosravi trained under Masters Gholamhossein Sohrabi and Ali Beigiparast, developing a strong foundation in professional drawing. He cites artists such as Lucian Freud, Mark Rothko, Whistler, and Richter among his influences. His practice emphasizes the act of looking over adherence to a single concept, exploring subtle formalism and a continuous search for artistic expression.  Khosravi has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iran and internationally. Notable solo shows include Artlab Gallery in Beirut, Iranshahr and Golestan Galleries in Tehran, and 4rtgallery in France. His work has also been featured in prominent group exhibitions such as Festival Partage des Arts in France, Galleri Ramfjord in Oslo, Simine Paris in Paris, Contemporary Istanbul in Turkey, and Building Bridges Art Exchange in Los Angeles, USA. 

Dubai, UAE – Leila Heller Gallery is delighted to announce the upcoming solo exhibition by Morteza Khosravi, titled 'The Floating Table’ opening on 3rd October, 2025. 

Drawing on personal archives and the history of figurative painting, the ‘The Floating Table’ transforms familiar images of gatherings, feasts and birthdays into a quiet meditation on memory, absence and the enduring continuity of human experience.  Known for a deep affinity with the Western painting tradition and a belief that “an image is born of another image,” Khosravi places human concerns at the center of his work. In The Floating Table, old keepsake photographs relinquish their vitality to a fragile stillness: portraits, faces and objects dissolve into muted backgrounds, creating a suspended space between presence and absence. 

What matters above all is the medium of painting itself and its expressive possibilities. Each canvas begins as a blank field where texture, line and colour unfold, moving between painterly action and revelation. Representation gives way to process and encounter; artist, work and viewer share in completing meaning, as in an open ending in cinema or an instrumental piece of music.  The restrained palette and uniform light of The Floating Table underscore the weight of memory and the sense of loss. Everyday moments evolve through the passage of time into a contemplative shared memory. Visitors are invited to reconstruct their own experiences within this collective framework an open space for reflection on togetherness, absence and the quiet persistence of time.