I Can’t Really Explain What It’s Like Where I Live, But Someday I’ll Take You There

The Phatory is pleased to present "I Can’t Really Explain What It’s Like Where I Live, But Someday I’ll Take You There", an exhibit of the work of Hamra Abbas: September 29 - October 30. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 29, from 7 – 9:00 P.M.

The title of Hamra Abbas’ work was taken from the writings the thirteenth century Persian poet Rumi expresses the dispersal of identity that has become so typical of modern life. The artist was born in Kuwait and now divides her time between Lahore and Berlin. Living this nomadic lifestyle, has informed her work not only by the complex multiple identities of her residences and but also by her roles and relationships to these environs as a woman, a Muslim, an artist, an Asian, a daughter, a sister, a single person, and circumstantial outsider. Her exquisitely crafted work is an attempt to self-negotiate these complex identities through the process of creating a visual language that combines traditional based media such as painting and sculptural in multimedia settings. The show includes three different series of paintings done in the Near Eastern style of miniature painting of gouache on handmade paper, and two videos.

The questions of dispersal and dispersed identity that are at the heart of Abbas’ work are central to much contemporary art. Hers is a visually exquisite rendering of these themes that reflects less on conceptual abstractions than deeply personal experiences.