Schelsey Mahammadie-Sabet
⤏ IN CONVERSATION WITH FAYE ORLOVE
⤏ PHOTOS BY LINNEA DEL CID | MAKE-UP BY CHRISTINA HARPER | STYLING BY MARLENE LUCIANO
⤏ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 2019
Schelsey Mahammadie-Sabet is always glowing. I don’t know how she does it.
She is the head-honcho of Leiminspace — a gallery in Chinatown focusing on emerging and experimental artists. When she isn’t running a small business, she’s picking flowers (and eating the edible ones), doodling on every surface (with impossible imagination), and posting photos of her outfits on a private Instagram that I get to follow (my crowning achievement).
She’s a girl as radiant as the sun, but Schelsey will never burn out.
FAYE: One thing (among many!) that I love about you is your work ethic. Does anyone help you with Leiminspace, or is it just you?
SCHELSEY: Thank you! I do wear a lot of hats. In the beginning, it was mostly just me doing the bulk of the gallery work. I was the person painting the walls, handling promo, doing artist outreach and studio visits, and, of course, gallery sitting! As time passed, and our shows became more complex, I was very lucky to happen upon my amazing assistant Tamy Argueta. An assistant who will be there for you, rain or shine, and who understands your vision is a real treasure. These days, gallery operations are also carried out by my younger brother Michael. It is a huge weight off my shoulder to have him stand in for me at times. Tamy, Michael, and I are always cracking up together. We’re a great trio who share a very strong work ethic.
F: Do you think being a child of immigrants has affected your work ethic or your aesthetics? I find being a kid from a rigid Jewish background has made me want to prove my value a lot, like I can be a good member of society and I want to do right by my people. Like I can be a good example of a Jew, or something.
S: Oh, yes. That is inescapable, at least it seems that way to me. Now and then, stories about my parents’ respective pasts will come up and I feel knocked to the ground with disbelief, and then with gratitude. My parents both came to this country to escape very bitter wars in their homelands — my mom from Nicaragua, and my dad from Iran. They experienced things that I most likely will never have to go through. I feel so blessed constantly, to the point of near hypomania. Sometimes, I feel that it is wasteful for me not to push myself to my limits. I feel that I owe it to my parents, for all they’ve been through. I want to reach my potential. Now, I understand that that sort of mentality can be draining, and ultimately, unsustainable. It’s important to take a step back and remember why I am doing everything I do. Balance is important. Ultimately, gratitude is a very effective motivator for self-improvement.
F: People always ask me how I curate Junior High and I never know what to say. I say I focus on diversity and inclusion, but most of all I trust my gut. How do you curate?
“Sometimes, I feel that it is wasteful for me to not push myself to my limits. “
S: Haha, yes. I relate to that. It feels like there are so many things that factor into my decision making. In the beginning, it was easier. I didn’t know a ton of people at the time, so I reached out to the artists that I loved from online. Back then, I was more focused on getting the gallery going and experimentation. So, yes, it was a lot of “going with my gut.” Now that I’ve done a solid amount of experimentation, I feel it’s time for me to get to the drawing board to develop a defensible set of guidelines. I have been taking some time off since October and that is what I have been doing! Some of the formal factors that determine whether I will reach out to an artist are: Have they had a show before? I like showing new work. Is their work something we’ve seen before? In what ways are they being innovative with mediums or stylistic tropes? Does the space fit well with their work, physically, and vice versa? One of the most important things to me is that we are showing stuff that cannot be readily found elsewhere. The unfortunate fact is that most often, art scenes can be quite rarefied and monochromatic, so to speak. I believe it is very important to show stuff that is different than this and to bring more light to all the important works that aren’t as visible as they could be!
F: Do you have absolute No's when it comes to show-pitches? Like any words you hear where you're immediately like, “thank you next.”
S: Haha, yes. While I often shy away from hard-and-fast language, there are definitely some things that are off limits at Leimin. On my website under “Rules,” you will see the following:
“No tolerance for artwork that the space deems to be disparaging toward any group of people based on age, sex, gender, race, culture, SES, or ability. & No tolerance for artwork which is aesthetically or conceptually reliant upon topics related to the identities of groups to which the artist has no direct connection. (We reserve the right to remove any works that we deem inappropriate based on the above stipulations.)”
I’ve positioned this as one of the rules of the space such as “no alcohol” or “lights out at 11PM” because I consider these things to be basic and nonnegotiable. Of course, I am not the one to make the final call if I ever have to pull art (which has been extremely rare), I usually run things by many others in order to gauge whether my own interpretations are well-founded.
F: I know you come from a science background, which I think is so interesting. I'm really math-oriented myself and I think it helps a lot in the business side of things. There's so much more to running a space than hanging art on the walls. Has studying physics played a role in Leimin or have you kinda moved on from it?
S: Yes. I always liken physics to Ryan Gosling in The Notebook (I’m Rachel McAdams, lmao). I feel like it’s this thing that I will forever be in love with and will one day run back to (in the rain). I think what I love about it is the way it channels my tendency for obsessive thinking. Problem solving gives me something productive to fixate on. That’s something that engages me in the gallery, during install. There is always some sort of structural problem to solve. I love those moments. The solutions we come up with are always so unexpected and usually helpful for future installs.
F: Was there a reason you decided to name the space after the street it's on? I like that it's almost an homage to Chinatown.
S: Yes. I wanted a name that was specific to Chinatown, but I didn’t want to name the gallery something that would later feel irrelevant or paled by time. I figured the name of the street would never change and I liked that it highlighted that little walking-street where the building is located: Lei Min Way.
“I deal with a lot of intensity internally — either intense anxiety or intense elation.”
F: You have such a distinct aesthetic in your own drawings and paintings that reflects so boldly in who you are as a person. It's my favorite thing about you. When I think about you, I just see bright colors and doodles and flowers. What inspires your aesthetic, both in your art and the way you dress and carry yourself?
S: Thank you so much. I’m always plagued by the conviction that my art is fragmented and incoherent. But I think most artists see their work that way. Most of what I do and how I dress is directed by my moods, so I guess that’s where the connection lies. I deal with a lot of intensity internally — either intense anxiety or intense elation. Bright colors and images from nature are how I ward off my depressive moods. A lot of the time, if you see me with bright makeup, it means I am having a hard day. This counteractive method actually works: if you’re sad, just put some flowers in your hair. I promise it’ll help even if it’s just a tiny bit.
F: What's your favorite flower?
S: I like Lupines. They’re purpley-blue and they grow all over Northridge right at the brink of Spring! I like them because they signal that the cold and the drear are soon to be gone!
F: How do you know if a flower is edible? I'm astounded by your knowledge!
S: [Laughs] It’s just diligent research. I like knowing the names of things. When I find a new flower I want to know what it’s called, if it’s invasive, if I should or shouldn’t pick it. I learn about toxicity along the way.
F: Who is an artist you really want to work with?
S: I would die to work with Maria Jeona. Her art is boundless, like she does not seem to have inhibitions about “should I do this” or “is this worth drawing” or “is this a good material.” She just makes, makes, makes! And her work is so colorful and tropical and energetic. When I look at it, it wakes up my mind.
F: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
S: Ebullient, loud, pragmatic.
F: What are three words you wish described yourself?
S: Punctual, doesn’t-ramble, doctor.
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⤏ FAYE ORLOVE (SHE/HER) IS AN ILLUSTRATOR, ANIMATOR AND ACTIVIST ORIGINALLY FROM THE EAST COAST. IN 2015, SHE BEGAN THE NON-PROFIT SPACE JUNIOR HIGH IN EAST HOLLYWOOD. FAYE LOVES POP-CULTURE, THE FACT THAT KIM KARDASHIAN IS STUDYING TO BE A LAWYER, AND THE JONAS BROTHERS COMEBACK. SHE DESCRIBES HERSELF AS A VIRGO, A JEWISH AMERICAN PRINCESS AND SOMEONE JUST TRYING REALLY, REALLY HARD.