As a first-generation Chaldean Iraqi who grew up in Ontario, Canada, I investigate themes related to multigenerational resilience and the disconnect between body and home in relation to nomadism. This has resulted in my experimentation in colour and texture involving various mediums, facilitating my understanding of the universe we live in.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

My adventures in Ontario have informed the content in my ongoing body of work. It began with revitalizing my honest self by embracing my vivid imagination. This is what encouraged me to learn how to utilize the trauma I experienced and reclaim it as a tool to create. Only recently though, I have noticed something more: I have noticed that I possess an autonomy that is innate and calling for me within my heart. I believe that through my explorations of my heart, I manifested the characterization of Prince Zorah, a fantastical alter-ego prominently featured in my work. His journey involves realistic and mythological imagery to analogize real feelings within marginalization and deep-rooted care. My introspection and admiration of texts such as Take care of Yourself by Sundus Abdul Hadi and The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry has influenced this love of creating folktales based on resistance.