Tours 
After completing the Blind Walls Talent Call, artist Leyli Rashidirauf is currently doing a residency at KEVN in Eindhoven. Through intimate materials and paintings, her work traces personal and political experiences with quiet intensity.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how your artistic journey began?
“I was born in Tehran in Iran, where I studied painting. After graduating, I worked as a visual artist, took part in exhibitions and festivals and also taught drawing at an art school. At a certain point, I felt the need to continue my education and develop my voice further. That’s why I applied to the Artist Educator program at ArtEZ in Arnhem. After I graduated in 2023, I decided to stay in the Netherlands.”
Foto door Chloe Alyshea
How would you describe your visual language?
“My work is mostly figurative. I’ve always been interested in Western classical painting, but I like to approach it from my own identity and perspective. I also like working with soft materials like lace, silk and fabric: things that feel feminine and intimate. Lately, I’ve been using tea bags and coffee filters in my drawings. After drinking tea, I dry the bags and use the stained paper as part of my process. Unfolding and preparing them has become a ritual, where I trace the stains, colours and textures.”
What drives you to make art?
“Creating gives me a strong emotional response. I feel alive when I’m making something. It’s a way for me to connect with what’s happening inside. Often, when I look back at older works, I can still see and feel what I was experiencing at the time.”
Foto door Chloe Alyshea
How did your interest in murals develop?
“When I was a student, I painted a 40-meter-wide mural in Belfast. It was part of a community project near a playground and I really enjoyed the scale and the interaction with the environment. So when a friend told me about the Blind Walls Talent Call and I saw the program focused on murals, I immediately applied. My participation was a really valuable experience. It gave me insight into the mural scene in the Netherlands; how it works legally, who’s active in the field and what kind of work is being made. I also had the chance to create a mural at the Ploegendienst Festival in Breda, which became an important piece for me.”
What was the story behind your mural at the festival?
“The mural is called In The Storm. Around the time I was working on the design, I shared a post about Palestine on social media. An old classmate responded with a disturbing message. I decided to make it public and that experience became the starting point for the mural. The title is referring to an Iranian song called In The Storm, performed by high school girls in 2000. It’s about unity and hope. I included a self-portrait in the mural, because I was processing the trauma in my own body. It was a way to talk about having little space to be myself: personally, but also politically. The experience of painting it was intense but meaningful. I’m happy I could be part of the program.”
‘In the Storm’. Foto door Rob Lipsius
And now you’re doing a residency in Eindhoven, tell us more!
“Yes, I was introduced to the residency at Kelderman en Van Noort (KEVN) through Blind Walls Gallery. I’m really excited. I’ll be working alongside fellow artist Dalal Mitwally in Estafette #3. My focus will be on identity, gender and the psychology of the self. These are themes that often return in my work. I’m hoping to connect with the local community and maybe create a piece that reflects the people and the place. After our residency, the created works will be on display at KEVN in Eindhoven.”
What are your hopes for the future as an artist?
“I want to do more murals and keep growing my network. I’d love to have my own studio eventually, but since I only recently moved here, I’m still building things up. I hope to gather more stories from people and create work that’s grounded in place. Because murals are public, I feel a responsibility to connect with the surroundings. That’s what excites me: creating something that’s both deeply personal and shared.”
Written by: Anne van Bree
The Blind Walls Talent Call is made possible by Keep an Eye Foundation, Gemeente Breda, Provincie Noord-Brabant, Verfplaza and Kairos Events.
Links: Leyli Rashidirauf. Rechts: Dalal Mitwally. Foto door Chloe Alyshea