EFA STUDIO PROGRAM: Member Artists
Negin Mahzoun
In my artistic practice, I delve into the realms of observation, memory, and gender, weaving a narrative that intertwines personal experiences with cultural identity. Central to my exploration is the nuanced perspective of the woman's body—simultaneously object and subject—examined through the lenses of self-portraiture, layered history, and literature.
I use images in miniature paintings as a reference for self-portraits. In addition, I express my work through sculptures, installations, paintings, prints, photography, and textile. In my current practice, I use sewing, which connects me to my family's professional heritage.
The series I present, "I Am Not a Tale to Be Told," draws from contemplating the damages inflicted by society, family, and culture. Struggling to recollect these experiences, my mind and body resist acknowledgment, leaving me in a paradoxical state of insensibility. In the face of this psychological struggle, I find solace in the human body as a testament to trauma. Through stitching and sewing, I bind my sentiments to materials, using my hands, craft, and textiles to convey remembrance.
In this process, I am not merely documenting the scars; I am engaged in a slow, deliberate act of repairing my wounded self. The repetitive nature of sewing mirrors the cyclical nature of emotional turmoil. Each stitch is a simultaneous act of remembrance and self-inflicted damage, a tangible manifestation of the complex interplay of anger, self-destruction, and anxiety. Like a relentless loop, these emotions intensify with each needle's prick, leading to numbness and paralysis akin to a discarded piece of fabric—silent, heavy, and laden with pain.
To acknowledge the problem is to make sense of the seemingly senseless, marking the beginning of a profound journey.
