“Fragmented I”

Hand-stitched Palestinian tatreez on canvas, 2023-2024 (52cmx52cm)

This piece is about the fracturing that comes with diaspora: fracturing of families, traditions, physical spaces, history, etc. 

In particular, I was thinking about how my sense of identity is fractured as a result of  being born and raised in diaspora—in countries that actively fund and fuel the genocide of my people. Only recently, in the past several years, have I been on a healing journey. I have identified some of my most core experiences in these countries to be psychologically abusive. 

When things are fractured, no matter how hard I try for the rest of my life, I know I can never fully repair it. This is the fate of diaspora kids. 

You can see here black thread on black fabric to show what has always been there, whether you’ve noticed it or not. Trees populate the shattered pieces, but they are all charred and in disarray. The further away you get from the epicenter, the more fragmented the trees become. They dissolve into dust.

There is an erasure constantly happening in my reality. I used to think wholeheartedly that meant I, too, would fold myself until I eventually erased. Now, I’m beginning to realize that doesn’t have to be the only way.

*Exhibited at Tendermeshh “Alter-Natives” at 90mil in Berlin, 17-18 January 2025.