Desire Moheb-Zandi
What’s your name and where are you based?
Hi! I’m Desire Moheb-Zandi currently based between Paris and Melbourne.
Can you describe your practice in a few words?
I make sculptural textile works that move between weaving, drawing and sculpture.
How did the loom find its way into your practice?
I started weaving on a frame loom when I moved to New York in 2013 to study at Parsons. The first time I worked on a large floor loom, it felt strangely familiar, as though my hands already understood its rhythm. I haven’t stopped since.
Your roots are Iranian and Uzbek Turkish, both with long textile histories. Did you grow up around anything that found its way into your practice later?
Textiles were simply a part of how I experienced the world—from kilims with their woven symbols and stories, to Uzbek ikat garments brought by my grandfather from Uzbekistan and the shimmering fabrics of Iranian celebrations from my father’s side of the family. I also grew up watching my grandmother sew and knit, making and altering things by hand. I think those early experiences shaped a tactile sensibility that has stayed with me and found its way into my practice.
Your material lists put hemp dyed in France, wool dyed in Turkey, cashmere alongside PVC and car paint, with no hierarchy between them. Is that levelling deliberate?
I use materials that I find in my surroundings as well as upcycled materials. More than their value, what draws me is their behaviour – how they feel, move, reflect light.I’m interested in how weaving can transform a material and shift its meaning- I’ve even woven with bras before. I think I have a bit of a ‘why not?’ attitude towards materials.
You’ve done residencies in London, the Ardèche, Los Angeles, Italy, Brazil and most recently Melbourne. How important are residencies in exploring your craft? Was there one residency that changed something in the work itself?
Residencies let me step outside my usual rhythm and respond to a place. Last summer in Turkiye, I sourced handspun wool from Usak and learned natural dyeing from a master dyer in Antalya, and that really stayed with me. The materials hold something of the place.
Is anything currently inspiring you?
Right now, Central Anatolia–its landscape, vessels, motifs, local wool and plants used for natural dyes. I’ve been looking closely at old forms and objects from the region. I think I’m already mentally there.
Where can people find you?
I’m starting a residency in Cappadocia in mid-September with A.R.C. x GALERIST. I’ll be weaving in the caves – you can find me there 🙂
For everything else: www.desiremohebzandi.com
