Elham Fallahi

Elham Fallahi (b. 1979, Tehran) is a multidisciplinary artist—designer, painter, and sculptor—whose work arises from a deep-seated commitment to environmental sustainability and social inclusion. A graduate in painting, she has taught at Iran’s University of Disabled Artists, where her passion for mentorship and entrepreneurship has empowered artists with disabilities to realize their full creative potential. Working primarily with recycled materials—particularly plastic—Elham transforms discarded objects into richly textured sculptures and installations. From the very heart of “plastic waste,” she forges entirely new forms that transcend the material’s ordinary associations, inviting viewers to reconsider the meanings of “refuse” and “art” in light of today’s ecological crises. For Elham, the true crisis lies not in plastic itself but in the contemporary mindsets and behaviors that shape our relationship with the natural world. By educating and collaborating with disabled and emerging artists at every stage of her process—and engaging the public through awareness-raising initiatives—she ensures that each work becomes a truly inclusive platform for expression, unrestricted by physical limitation. Her sculptural series reimagines ancient gods and nature myths using the very materials now threatening the ecosystems those legends once celebrated. These fluid, floating forms revive primordial stories and embody humanity’s earliest reverence for nature, making visible the ancient mind’s beliefs about the environment. In her practice, Elham strips away traditional material hierarchies to reveal the profound, multilayered concepts beneath each work’s surface. Every piece exists in dynamic dialogue with time, place, and space—suspending the boundaries between “waste,” “material,” and “art” to forge a contemporary archaeology of everyday life. After many successful exhibitions across Iran and the Middle East, Elham now works in the United States to share her vision on a broader international stage—yet the vibrant culture and pressing issues of Tehran remain her greatest continuing inspiration.