Leyla Jamil Rzayeva

Surface




Surface
, 2026
Archival pigment prints, 
birch plywood, 
24x31x68 inches



Surface, detail, 2026
Archival pigment prints, 
birch plywood, 
24x31x68 inches

Mixtures



Mixtures,   2026
    Archival pigment print, plywood, veneer, brass hinges
    24x30x24 inches


Mixtures,   2026
    Archival pigment print, plywood, veneer, brass hinges
    24x30x24 inches

    I gather my images through site research by photographing with a tripod and an external remote. To create the images I set up the camera, tripod, lighting and reflectors, react and pose. In the studio the photographs are translated into prints, cutouts, and free standing props. The prints are scaled, assembled and adhered to plywood, foam core, and veneer. The approximate height of the props varies from 16 inch models to 50 inch panels. 

    The edges of all shapes, plywood panels, and wooden substrates are determined by the outlines of my body.

    Working across media, I explore the ways in which environments activate me. The presentation of this work imagines a process visual sampling, working in oppositions, modalities, and frequencies. 



      Mixtures, detail, 2026
        Archival pigment print, plywood, maple veneer, brass hinges
        24x30x24 inches



      Mixtures, detail, 2026
        Archival pigment print, plywood, maple veneer, brass hinges
        24x30x24 inches



      Mixtures, 2026
        Archival pigment print, plywood, maple veneer, brass hinges
        24x30x24 inches



        Backstage

        Backstage and Mixtures are three performance scenes. Through photography, sculpture, and installation, Surface, Backstage and Mixtures, preset three distinct scenes that examine visibility and self-possession. 

        In my photography, sculpture and installations I create props and environments that operate at the edges of objects and view points, taking the traditional elements of visual capture - a camera and a tripod - and working with them as individual parts of an atmosphere and gaze. The fragile and voyeuristic elements of the installations: texture of the skin, hair, spreading silk, dense twill, veneer, plywood, stones, and immersive rooms projected onto my self-portraits, create a flow of quieter moments in step with the expression of feelings that sink their teeth deeper into the surface of the scenes. 



        Backstage, 2026
        Archival pigment prints
        plywood, granite, recycled satin
        48x60x96 inches




        Backstage, detail, 2026
        Archival pigment prints
        plywood, granite, recycled satin
        48x60x96 inches



        Backstage, detail, 2026
        Archival pigment prints
        plywood, granite, recycled satin
        48x60x96 inches



        Backstage, detail, 2026
        Archival pigment prints
        plywood, granite, recycled satin
        48x60x96 inches

        • Mixtures, 2026
        • Archival pigment print, plywood, twill, veneer
        • Installation dimensions variable




        • Mixtures, detail, 2026
        • Archival pigment print, plywood, twill, veneer
        • Installation dimensions variable


        • Card Players, 2025
        • Oil on canvas
        • 36" x 26" x 1.5"
        Instant Home

        Date: 2022
        Artists: Leyla Rzayeva and Hanne Lange
        Medium: Photography, Installation
        Materials: archival pigment prints
        Dimensions: 6x9 inches and 9x12 inches


        Artists Hanne Lange’s and Leyla Rzayeva’s collaborative work completed in Dresden, Germany. In the installation about home, memory and metaphor, Leyla Rzayeva and Hanne Lange are stepping into a new affinity that takes time and space. Asking questions about how to understand hospitality, immigration and availability of materials and resources during the times of global change. A photograph of the original work is displayed together with a series of postcards and posters. The images in the postcards were chosen by the artists from their collaboration and  individual art practice. Each viewer can take part in the installation - take the postcards and then form new combinations in their own home or send them by post. 










        Dividers
        2023
        Archival pigment print, book cloth, wood
        16x20x12 in










        Dividers: Cast of Characters

        The Apron & Poppies




        The Dove & the Artist




        The Rose




        The Horse







        • Smoke and Mirrors, 2023
          Archival pigment prints, book cloth, ribbon, wood
          13x19x12 in


        • Push, 2025
        • Oil on linen
        • 12x16 inches