Laleh Motlagh

Laleh Motlagh is an MFA candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has received her BFA in Interior Design, specializing in materials, their essence and functionality. She was born and raised in Tabriz, Iran and moved to the US in 2005.

Laleh is a multi-disciplinary visual artist whose practice is focused on human culture and its relationship to nature. She explores the connections through ceramic sculpture, painting, installation, and performance. 

laleh@lalehmotlagh.com  

Art Displayed 

• Work Title: Suspension 

• The year the work was created: 2019

• Dimensions (Length, Width, Height - in inches): Varies 

• Medium: Raw and bisque clay, plastic bags, broken raw clay 

• Description of your work:
  This past summer, I transitioned to an entirely plant-based diet. The decision had a significant impact not only in my personal life, but also on my practice. I have become deeply interested in discovering where our food comes from and what impact it has on the environment, our ecological system and the political implications of how what we eat affects the world around us.
  Knowing these facts, I started researching meat particularly. Billions of animals are raised and slaughtered every year, just for food. Deforestation and land use from one side, animal waste and by-products from another side carry a wide spectrum of environmental issues that have been almost entirely unchallenged. I am questioning and imagining inside of a slaughterhouse and the impact of the waste produced on the land.