Curated by art historian Carrie Scott, Once Upon a Turquoise Past presents new photographic work by the art collector, patron and writer Maryam Eisler. Captured in the early-winter light at Leighton House — the opulent Kensington home of Orientalist Lord Leighton — this new series blends colours, patterns, cultural references and social histories, transporting the viewer into another world. It also explores Eisler’s continued interest in depicting the female form — the Sublime Feminine — through plays on light.
Born in Iran and raised in Europe and later in New York, Eisler draws inspiration from the world around her. In this series, she looks at everything from the turquoise-tiled domes of her homeland and 19th-century European literature to the colours and gloss of 1980s New York. In doing so, she creates visual wonderlands that are intriguing as they are bewitching.
