From Iran to Kings Cross with Artist Leili Tehrani Walker
Nowadays, Leili Tehrani Walker believes that their Persian background has only done good things for their relationship to art and food, though they didn’t always believe this was the case. Growing up, it was complicated.
From the start, it seemed for Leili that art, culture, identity and politics were related. Early memories of seeing a distinctive mural in Kings Cross about the AIDS crisis made a huge impression on them when they were young. Interestingly the mural had similarities to political graffiti in their ancestral home in Shiraz, Iran.
Growing up in red-light district ‘The Cross’ (Eora Sydney) with a mother who escaped from Iran during the Iran Iraq war, Leili found that they were living between two worlds. Like many children of the Iranian diaspora, they didn’t feel like they fit in at their white anglo school but also didn’t have a large Iranian community to connect with. Throughout our chat we unpack the complexities of growing up not-quite-”australian” and not-quite-Iranian.
When we get on to the Starving Artist myth, Leili has plenty of feelings about it. They hate the belief that you have to be working full time as an artist to be considered one, as well as the romanticisation of money stress. “It feels like community is the biggest antidote to the scarcity principle because if you have people around you that you've nurtured a relationship with (almost a familial relationship with) then you've got people to take care of you”. Shout outs to some of Leili’s artist family, Frances Cannon and Germ Flack.
photo @joshmilch
A QUICK WHIP AROUND THE INGREDIENTS THAT MAKE UP LEILI
PRONOUNS: They / Them
HOMETOWNS: Naarm/Melbourne (current), Eora/Sydney & Shiraz, Iran
JOB DESCRIPTION: Artist
The word community pops up regularly in our chat. We’re not surprised to learn that Persian food is all about community, love and taking care of people. Cooking starts before the sun comes up in Iran. If you're not making your own bread, you’re waking up before morning prayers to get it from the woodfire down the road. Everyone eats together and it’s a really long affair. This attitude is deep in Leili’s bones - food is their love language.
Don’t worry, this interview isn’t all highbrow cultural chats. Listen out for Leili incriminating a family member’s ingenious knack for producing enormous Persian feasts in the blink of an eye. We find out their favourite artist is painter Iman Raad (who creates Iranian miniature style paintings that you can get deliciously lost in). Their favourite kitchen sound is completely original and their favourite smell is definitely not what we were expecting! For a kitchen disaster story that involves a dinner party and cat food, plus the best tip for taking the bite out of red onion you’ll have to tune in.
Ironically, the meal Leili made for us (it’s also the recipe for this episode) was a dish that they hated when they were growing up.
Ghormeh sabzi is a Persian herb stew and Leili served it with heavenly Tahdig (crispy Persian rice).
You can see in the image of Leili’s hand drawn recipe how much colour, pattern and intensity come together to create the mesmerising works. They say that they never intended for their art to be political - they’re simply exploring layers of themselves and the world around them, keeping their hands and mind busy.
When your eyes dart across then melt into the layers, fractals and pools of colour and shape, you start to get a sense of how place and self can coexist in all their complexities and contradictions. It’s a luscious way to experience the breaking down of binaries.
WHAT LEILI TEHRANI WALKER EATS
GHORMEH SABZI
HERE’S LEILI’S INCREDIBLE PAINTING OF THEIR RECIPE, GHORMEH SABZI
photo @joshmilch
LINKS & MENTIONS
LINKS TO ARTIST INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND ANYTHING ELSE WE CHATTED ABOUT
Detail of recipe, gouache on paper
INFORMATION AND TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR CHAT
Don't bother with supermarket saffron - go to an Iranian supermarket and get the good stuff
Leili is homesick for kabob koobideh (Iranian meat kebab made from ground lamb or beef, often mixed with ground pepper and chopped onions). Their hot tip is to massage the kabobs with sumac
If you’re working full time to support you art practice, that doesn't make you any less of an artist
“The Bean” in Chicago is ‘Cloud Gate’ by Anish Kapoor
Leili encourages you to get to know your neighbours, it’s a wonderful way to foster community