Leili arai tavallaei
Leili Arai Tavallaei is a Dallas-based multi-disciplined artist working primarily in print, video, found object collage, and mixed media. She received a BFA in Animation and Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2022. Tavallaei attended Osaka Gakuin University in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Born into a family of immigrants, her father having migrated from Iran and her mother a Hāfu (of mixed-Japanese ancestry), Tavallaei’s work draws on generational memories through potent collages of photographs, ephemeras, and familial heirlooms. In her practice, she documents the active loss of memory through translation—linguistically, formally, and physically. Ultimately, Tavallaei aims to preserve her family history into a new, blended lexicon.
Tavallaei has been recognized nationally in galleries and film festivals across the United States. She is a 2022 Islam & Print Fellow and a 2023-24 Cohort 4 alumni of Cedars Union in Dallas, TX. In 2025 she was the recipient of the Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund Award to Artists from the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Artist-in-Residence at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society.
Notably her work has been shown at Arts Fort Worth, TCC South Carillon Gallery, Lawndale Art Center, Silber Gallery, Black Artist Research Space, and Current Space. The artist’s work can be found in the collections of NoMu NoMu and Islam & Print. Her video work has been screened at NASA Goddard, at the historic Parkway Theater Baltimore, and at Downtown LA Independent Theater. Arch and Ann Dallas Kimbrough Fund recipient.
Tavallaei currently works as the Cultural Organizer and Facilitator for Mixed Japanese-American healing Circles, and as the Fine Arts Program Manager for the Dallas Asian American Art Collective (DAAART).
Born into a family of immigrants, her father having migrated from Iran and her mother a Hāfu (of mixed-Japanese ancestry), Tavallaei’s work draws on generational memories through potent collages of photographs, ephemeras, and familial heirlooms. In her practice, she documents the active loss of memory through translation—linguistically, formally, and physically. Ultimately, Tavallaei aims to preserve her family history into a new, blended lexicon.
Tavallaei has been recognized nationally in galleries and film festivals across the United States. She is a 2022 Islam & Print Fellow and a 2023-24 Cohort 4 alumni of Cedars Union in Dallas, TX. In 2025 she was the recipient of the Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund Award to Artists from the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Artist-in-Residence at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society.
Notably her work has been shown at Arts Fort Worth, TCC South Carillon Gallery, Lawndale Art Center, Silber Gallery, Black Artist Research Space, and Current Space. The artist’s work can be found in the collections of NoMu NoMu and Islam & Print. Her video work has been screened at NASA Goddard, at the historic Parkway Theater Baltimore, and at Downtown LA Independent Theater. Arch and Ann Dallas Kimbrough Fund recipient.
Tavallaei currently works as the Cultural Organizer and Facilitator for Mixed Japanese-American healing Circles, and as the Fine Arts Program Manager for the Dallas Asian American Art Collective (DAAART).