Mystic Seduction

May 2 - June 27, 2026

Los Angeles, CA – MASH Gallery is pleased to present Mystic Seduction, Los Angeles-based artist Haleh Mashian’s fifth solo exhibition. Curated by Edward Goldman, the presentation brings together works spanning her Forest, Tears, Figurative Abstraction, Rose, and Butterfly series.

Mystic Seduction centers on the belief that “transformation is not something to be achieved; it already exists within us, moving continuously beneath the surface.” This conviction represents a shift in Mashian’s process toward greater openness and intuitive engagement with materiality, allowing compositions to emerge organically. The result is a body of work that feels both spontaneous and deeply considered.

The exhibition places Mashian’s earlier work in dialogue with her more recent expression. Drawing on nature as both guide and mirror, her Tree series – exemplified by The Quiet Passage – employs stark contrasts of deep black and luminous white to create an atmosphere of emotional intensity, evoking the stillness of northern landscapes. In newer pieces within the series, changing LED elements animate the surface of the paintings, introducing a tension between melancholy and vitality associated with seasonal change.

Where the Tree series operates through restraint, the Rose series – such as Violet Temptation – pursues ethereal, highly-chromatic drama. The Water series takes a quieter approach with a muted, shimmering palette and layered, impastoed surfaces. Celestial Glow and Candied capture rainfall suspended in motion, at once meditative and kinetic. Across these works, a brighter, more expansive palette signals a broader shift toward luminosity. The figurative paintings Puzzled and Always in Flux extend this into the human figure, engaging the tension between fragmentation and selfhood.

The Butterfly series most directly addresses the exhibition’s central formal concerns. In Mystic Seduction I and Mystic Seduction II, richly hued and textural forms dissolve into abstraction, the butterfly motif serving as a visual language for personal and creative renewal. Formally the butterfly shapes are arranged horizontally across the surface in a rhythm recalling notation on a musical score.

In Metallic Flight, Mashian unites the layered forest imagery of her earlier work with translucent handmade resin butterflies, creating a shimmering, dimensional field that marks new material territory in her practice.

As Goldman reflects, Mashian’s butterflies become “a symbol of freedom, a reminder of the fragility of beauty and the arduous task of self-transformation that is central to understanding the symbolism of her art.”

Exhibition events

Opening reception: Saturday, May 2, 7-10pm

Join artist Haleh Mashian and curator Edward Goldman for a conversation on Saturday, June 13, 3-5pm. RSVP requested.

About MASH Gallery

Founded in 2018 by expressionist painter Haleh Mashian, MASH Gallery is a contemporary art gallery originally located in Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District. In 2022, the gallery moved to West Hollywood, in the center of the design district. MASH Gallery focuses on thematic exhibitions that showcase local and international artists both emerging and established. She brings to life a compelling curatorial programming to the gallery that focuses on thematic exhibitions. Mashian believes that creativity should be the focus of the gallery programming, and believes in Art for the sake of Art while bringing the community together.