{"id":2113,"date":"2025-09-16T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2113"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:04:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T18:04:00","slug":"hangama-amiri-stitches-memories-of-migration-into-vivid-textile-portraits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2113","title":{"rendered":"Hangama Amiri Stitches Memories of Migration into Vivid Textile Portraits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hangama<\/p>\n

Hangama Amiri<\/a> translates fragments of her teenage years and family history into quilted portraits and tender tableaus. The artist, who resides in upstate New York and maintains a studio in Red Hook, is interested in recollection and the stories that make us who we are. \u201cThere\u2019s an innocence and a special quality in revisiting and reminiscing those memories, especially that my family and I spent those years in migration across Central Asia,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

At just 7 years old, Amiri left her native Kabul and traveled to various countries before settling in Canada as a teenager. This itinerant experience continues to inform the artist\u2019s work, particularly as she seeks to build a larger narrative about \u201cwomen\u2019s importance\u00a0socially, politically, economically, and\u00a0culturally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"a
Detail of \u201cPortrait of Kern Samuel at Yale Art Gallery\u201d (2024), muslin, cotton, chiffon, silk, linen, and velvet, 52 x 34.5 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amiri begins with a drawing that she slices into shapes and traces onto velvet, silk, polyester, and other textiles sourced from Afghan-owned shops, online sources, and the occasional gift from friends and colleagues. Once cut out, these individual pieces layer onto a muslin backdrop, creating vivid portraits and domestic scenes with visible seams. Doing so \u201cadds another layer of mark-making and texture,\u201d she shares, noting that she utilizes a machine for this final step.<\/p>\n

Often focusing on the decorative elements of a space or a figure\u2019s sartorial choices, Amiri captures a particular moment in time, highlighting a sense of familiarity and intimacy with her fleeting subject matter. Several works portray a meal shared among friends, while \u201cMan with Vase of Tulips\u201d\u00a0depicts the titular character cradling a bouquet, a small photograph peeking through the cluster of vibrant flowers. <\/p>\n

Although we don\u2019t know the location\u2014perhaps he\u2019s sitting in Afghanistan, Canada, or elsewhere\u2014the piece exudes a sense of longing, exemplifying the artist\u2019s enduring interest in preserving and resurfacing moments otherwise bound to the past.<\/p>\n

In addition to her quilts, Amiri has a neon sculpture on view at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She\u2019s working toward several upcoming exhibitions this fall, including at the National Gallery of Canada, Konsthall C in Stockholm, and Paris International Art Fair. Follow along on her website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cPortrait of Kern Samuel at Yale Art Gallery\u201d (2024), muslin, cotton, chiffon, silk, linen, and velvet, 52 x 34.5 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of \u201cDastarkhw\u0101n\u201d (2025), muslin, cotton, chiffon, canvas, denim, linen, silk, polyester, suede, inkjet-print on silk-chiffon, block-print, color-pencil, and acrylic paint on fabric, 77.5 x 54 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cDastarkhw\u0101n\u201d (2025), muslin, cotton, chiffon, canvas, denim, linen, silk, polyester, suede, inkjet-print on silk-chiffon, block-print, color-pencil, and acrylic paint on fabric, 77.5 x 54 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cStill-Life with Sushi and Red Wine\u201d (2025), muslin, cotton, chiffon, linen, silk, polyester, suede, block-print, color-pencil, and acrylic paint on fabric, 47 x 64 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cNakhoonak-e Aroos\/ Bride\u2019s Nail\u201d (2022), neon and glass. Image courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cDominic Chambers with His Portrait Painting of Trevon Latin\u201d (2024), muslin, cotton, chiffon, linen, velvet, denim, and silk, 52 x 42 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cDeparture\u201d (2022), muslin, cotton, polyester, clear vinyl, faux leather, chiffon, and found fabric, 68.5 x 85 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Hangama Amiri Stitches Memories of Migration into Vivid Textile Portraits<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hangama Amiri translates fragments of her teenage years and family history into quilted portraits and tender tableaus. The artist, who resides in upstate New York and maintains a studio in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}