Mahka Eslami is an Iranian artist and photographer currently living and working between Paris and New York. Her work explores themes of exile and the diasporic condition, examining how identity and the dynamics of belonging are shaped by displacement and the environments communities inhabit. Through a long-term, immersive approach, Mahka Eslami creates intimate visual narratives that highlight the fragmented journeys of individuals and communities navigating exile. Her work is frequently exhibited in France and at international festivals, with notable showcases at the MUCEM in Marseille and the Rencontres d’Arles, where her series, “Should You Survive You Will See Wondrous Countries,“ premiered in 2023. Her project “Tales of Women at Sea“—focusing on the struggles and resilience of migrant women crossing the Mediterranean—was also presented at the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) in 2024 and will be exhibited in France throughout the summer. Her most recent project, “Bodega Boys,” will be exhibited in 2025 at the New York Public Library. A 10-print piece from the series was acquired last year by the NYPL collection.
As most New Yorkers have a long, loving, and even passionate relationship with what they call “their” local bodega, Mahka Eslami’s Bodega Boys series intimately portrays the many members of the Yemeni-American community in Brooklyn who operate these colorful cornerstones of the New York experience.
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