MY MESSAGE TO THE DIASPORA : LOVE AND LIBERATION

For the past few weeks I have struggled quite a bit with creative block which has left me a bit behind my group. But recently I discovered a fellow Iraqi artist who I resonate with and inspired me to look within my roots.

THE ARTIST

Afadedrose.work/store <——— her website

Maryam, otherwise known as Afadedrose, is an Assyrian/Kurdish oil painter who explores the delicate boundary between surrealism and pop art. As a refugee from Iraq, she found solace and purpose in a medium that allows her not only to express herself but also to give voice to the countless individuals in the Middle East who remain ensnared in turmoil, to those silenced by the ravages of war and colonialism.

Her chosen color palette – black, white, and red – is an extension of her identity and essence. Growing up amidst the chaos of the 2003 Iraq war was a time where the world seemed to be painted in black and white, the red symbolising the bloodshed of innocents.

no peace w/out destruction by afadedrose

A segment from her painting, 'No Peace w/out Destruction" inspired me to rip my heart out my chest for one of my designs, which to me resonates with my feelings of displaced identity; the physical disconnection yet intrinsic spiritual connection to my homeland represented through flesh and blood. In itself it acts as a statement of defiance against those who deny my identity, heritage, my ancestral struggle and the freedom of my diaspora currently in chaos. Therefore its also a statement of self acceptance and unconditional love to a homeland which cant fully accept all of my identity ( poem). This design choice shows my affinity for anatomy and surrealism, and is similar to Frida Kahlo's painting ' The two fridas", which represents her emotional pain, split identity (European vs. Mexican heritage), and loneliness.

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