Yana Rzayeva

Honoured and grateful to receive the Best Window Installation Award from DesignTO ✨

This project grew from threads of memory, material, and community, and it means so much to see it recognized in this way. Thank you to the incredible team at , , , DesignTO 2026 jury, and everyone who stopped to look, linger, and connect with the work.

Remnants for the Future is still on view

Photo Credits
Images 1 and 3:
Images 5 and 6: Ted Chai (), courtesy of Thermador.

Unravelled Tradition will be on view at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery as part of Unity Through the Arts exhibition presented by Cultural Expressions for CHANGE. Exhibition runs from October 17 to November 2. Admission is free. Join us for the opening reception on October 16 from 6 to 8 pm. Hope to see you there!
Thank you and

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Unravelled Traditions is on view as part of True North Unshaken exhibition at Leslie Grove Gallery, on now until July 27th, with a reception on July 10th, 6-8 pm. Hope to see you there!

True North, Unshaken showcases a powerful collection of Canadian art that explores what it means to be Canadian today.

Featuring diverse voices, the exhibition highlights our deep connections to each other and the land. It celebrates how we forge our own path forward with resilience and creative independence.

Pulling Threads: Weaving Memory and Identity
Yana Rzayeva – MFA Thesis Exhibition
Reception on March 28, 4-8 pm, 205 Richmond St. W.

Image credit:

Pulling Threads: Weaving Memory and Identity explores the fragmented experience of diaspora through textile installations that bridge ancestral knowledge and contemporary practice. Rooted in the artist’s Azerbaijani heritage, the works are imbued with stories of migration, adaptation, and the tension between preserving tradition and embracing transformation. Using fibers hand-dyed with natural materials—such as spices commonly used in Azerbaijani cuisine—the artist draws a visceral connection between the sensory
experiences of home and the complexities of cultural displacement.

Incorporating traditional Azerbaijani weaving and knotting techniques, the works become hybridized objects that reflect the layered nature of diasporic identity. These textiles intertwine the past and present, echoing
the ways diasporic communities navigate the intersections of memory and belonging. Each piece, made with natural and sustainable materials, honors ancestral knowledge while simultaneously questioning how traditions evolve when uprooted and transplanted across borders.

Through this tactile language, the artist celebrates the resilience and adaptability inherent in diasporic narratives. The works stand as embodiments of cultural hybridity—neither entirely fixed in tradition nor fully
assimilated—mirroring the lived experiences of those who exist between worlds. In weaving together these disparate threads, Pulling Threads invites viewers to consider how cultural practices endure, transform, and
create new meanings across generations.

Final piece completed for “Your Brain on Art,” an annual fundraiser by
Delta, 18x24 encaustic and oil on cradled wood - will be available for auction on November 10th with the proceeds going towards alternative brain research across Canada. Check link in bio for tickets and more information!