Artist Statement: Representation

     I identify as a minimalist artist. In both my digital illustrations and poems, I choose to design compositions using as little as possible. With one line, I form a masterpiece. With one phrase, I voice years of experiences. My work applies irony to mock the bitter reality of my country. I write bluntly about heavy topics, and I don’t shy away from controversial subjects. I utilize imagism and play around with odd verb-noun associations to express my thoughts and ideas. Using the five senses in my descriptions, I try to entice the reader into my realm and create a certain feeling.

     My work mainly explores the immigrant experience and the erasure, or change, of their identity. My Integrating Activity project applies this notion and incorporates two forms of art; illustration and poetry. In everything I do, I always make sure to scatter a bit of my culture. I come from refugee parents, so my writing illustrates hardships related to that. My work reflects my Arabic background; for example, some pages of my comic include Arabic texts. Most of my compositions utilize the Arabic alphabet. I try to eradicate the negative stereotypes associated with the word “Arab” through narratives which depict young Arabs in a better light. The ones who exist here and there, in two cities, speaking two languages. Positive representation in art allows us to break harmful stereotypes which leads to an exquisitely diverse society. My purpose in writing is simply to illustrate my life.