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Artist Name: Anam Feerasta
Title: Self-Portrait
Medium: Collage, acrylic and fabric on cardboard
Size/Dimension: 30 x 24 inches
Year: 2020
Artist Statement:
A loose collection of images, this collage explores the notion of identity as a complicated mesh of the people, places and grounding moments in my life, all of which have shaped who I am today. The work also speaks of an active struggle to create an independent identity for myself outside of these relationships.
My cultural upbringing in a male-dominated South Asian society has much to do with this struggle - the values of compromise, subordination and sacrifice taught to me as a Pakistani woman are so deeply ingrained in me that they are difficult to break away from. The fabric used is representative of this rich culture and of its continuing hold on my identity even after I have moved to Canada, supposedly far away from the overpowering influences of Pakistani society.