and the winner is…

Elaheh Naghi Ganji

Elaheh has been selected as winner of the 2025 Rabih Hage Bursary for her innovative approach to design and her commitment to exploring complex socio-political themes through her craft.

An Iranian multidisciplinary artist based in London, Elaheh works at the intersection of art and craft.

Her practice is deeply rooted in storytelling, drawing inspiration from the narratives of her everyday surroundings and lived experiences.

Through her work, she seeks to distil philosophical and socio-political themes into visually compelling and poetic pieces, transforming everyday forms into vessels of meaning.

Elaheh says: “The Rabih Hage bursary offers a remarkable and much-needed opportunity that could profoundly impact my artistic journey as an Iranian artist living in the UK.

The financial support will enable me to further develop my practice, invest in essential materials, and dedicate more time to pushing my creative boundaries.

Additionally, the networking opportunities will be transformative opening doors to collaborative opportunities and meaningful relationships with key figures in the art world.”

Exhibition: From Matter to Emotion

For the bursary project Elaheh is creating a new body of work titled ‘From Matter to Emotion’.

In From Matter to Emotion, everyday objects are reimagined as vessels of human experience. Through transformation, dislocation, and subtle interventions, these familiar forms shed their practical identities and become carriers of feelings.

This body of work invites viewers to pause and look again—to see beyond the surface of the ordinary. It asks: what emotions might lie dormant in the things we overlook? What truths might emerge when matter is allowed to speak?

From Matter to Emotion will be exhibited in London in October 2026.