Desire Moheb-Zandi

DESIRE MOHEB-ZANDI is an Iranian-German artist whose textile works explore the materiality of fabrics, delving into themes of displacement, belonging, and the passage of time. The artist, inspired by childhood memories of learning to weave from her grandmother in Turkey, blends traditional techniques with modern motifs and media. Her intricate weavings transcend mere decoration, becoming tactile narratives of migration, cultural fusion, and the search for stability in a world of constant flux. Moheb-Zandi's creations carry conceptual weight, addressing social issues such as gender, migration, and the role of tradition in contemporary society. Through her choice of materials and the narratives embedded in her work, she engages with these themes in ways both subtle and profound. Moheb-Zandi's art often carries personal and collective narratives, exploring themes of memory, identity, and temporal passage. Her use of textiles—a medium traditionally associated with domesticity and femininity—allows her to delve into these themes from a deeply personal perspective, addressing both her own experiences and broader societal issues. 

Desire Moheb-Zandi (*1990 in Berlin) lives and works in Paris. She’s the granddaughter of Uzbeks, and grew up in Turkey, the birth country of part of her family (the other being Iranian). She studied at the BBA Koc University in Istanbul and then moved to New York to study at Parsons School of Design.

Selected solo exhibitions include: “A Way to stay’ at Fold Gallery, London”; “Fields of Reflections”, superzoom, Paris; “Landscapes” at The Newsstand Project, Los Angeles.
Selected group exhibitions include: “Coexistence”, Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Centre, Istanbul; “The Sowers”, Fondation Thalie, Brussels; “The First Meal”, Poush Manifesto, Paris.

The artist has been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest, Artnet, Artspeak, Juxtapoz, and the New York Times.

In 2022, she realized a major commission for Chanel Métiers D'Art, as well as for Diane von Furstenberg in 2017.

In 2024 she received the Prix Art Éco Conception from Art of Change x Palais de Tokyo.