Hangama Amiri sews the memory of the migration into vivid textile portraits – Huge
Hangama Amiri transforms fragments of her teenage years and family history into stitched portraits and tender surfaces. The upstate New York artist maintains a studio in Red Hook, interested in memories and the stories that make us our identities. She added: “There is a qualities of innocence and speciality in re-examining and recalling these memories, especially when my family and I spent several years in Central Asia immigrants.”
Amiri left her native Kabul at the age of 7, traveling to various countries, and then settled in Canada as a teenager. This tour experience continues to inform the artist’s work, especially as she attempts to build a larger narrative about the “social, political, economic and cultural importance of women.”
Amiri starts with a drawing, cut it into shapes and traces to velvet, silk, polyester and other textiles sourced from Afghan-owned stores, online sources, and occasional gifts from friends and colleagues. Once cut out, these individual pieces are laid against the background of muslin, creating a vivid portrait and family scene with visible seams. “Another layer of marking and texture was added,” she shared, noting that she used the machine in the final step.
Amiri usually focuses on decorative elements of the space or the costume choices of characters, capturing a specific moment that highlights the familiarity and intimacy of her ephemeral theme. Several works depict a meal between friends, while “People with a tulip vase” depicts a titular character that shakyly is a small photo peeking into a bunch of vibrant flowers.
Although we don’t know the location – maybe he sat in Afghanistan, Canada or elsewhere, the piece exudes a sense of desire that embodies the artist’s lasting interest in the moment of preservation and repainting.
In addition to the quilt, Amiri also admires neon sculptures at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She will work for several upcoming exhibitions this fall, including at the National Gallery of Canada, Konsthall C in Stockholm and the Paris International Art Fair. Follow her website and Instagram.
