Artist Statement
As an artist of Iraqi Jewish heritage, my sense of self often falls between assumed incompatible identities. Because of this, I am driven to search for what connects two forms of expression, whether it is myth and reality, pop culture and tradition, or Middle Eastern and Western aesthetics. This way, multiple subjective experiences of landscape, pattern, and identity interlace to form a narrative. My goal is to capture a feeling and tell a story simultaneously, to point out connections between past and present, and to make a roadmap for the future. By playing with focus and layers of imagery, my work uses mixed media, photography, video, and textiles to survey the intersections of Middle Eastern and Western culture by examining and questioning conceptions of home and belonging within a postcolonial lens. Through the dreamlike experience of the work, concepts of collective memory are examined, such as the personal significance of objects and the mythology attached to the family archive. Migration, history, and the search for home are all explored, aiming to uncover a greater understanding of my own sense of identity and belonging, providing unique insight into the complex, delicate relationship between people, their heritage, and the world around them.