to the undying woman in black / به زن سیاه پوش نامیرا
3.5 x 3 inches
9 pages
archival prints on cotton
editions of 30
The pocket-sized fabric book was created in a moment of mourning and searching in shadows, open doorways, and parted curtains. The close-ups are of indentations made by my mother and her classmates as they posed in front of one their father’s newly acquired camera in early 1980s Soviet-occupied Kabul. This practice of searching for signs in my mother’s photographs is rooted in a search for my grandmother, Bibi Amir. She didn’t have her photograph taken but was often present in family events that were documented. I obsessively searched for her in corners of family archives thinking I'll find a hand or shadow that belongs to her. I began printing on cotton and organza fabrics that resembled the textures of the veils she’d wear. The [carryable carriers] [portable portals] fabric book becomes as a catch and release holding grief between these spaces.
2024
Printed Matter New York Art Book Fair, New York, NY
neighbor histories, the Center for Art, Research, and Alliances, New York, NY
The People's Library, Nowadays, New York, NY