This deeply biographical installation by US-based, Afghan-Canadian artist Hangama Amiri consists of a group of textile hangings that show everyday personal belongings that have been lost through conflict, displacement, and migration, particularly in the wake of the change of the Afghan government in 2021. As markers of absence and memory, these patchwork still-lifes invite visitors to consider how lost objects can give shape to feelings of in-betweenness and fragmentation. The hangings are arranged in a flowing pattern that brings to mind the characteristic whirling ritual that Rumi taught his followers. The installation emphasizes the experience of displacement shared by Amiri and Rumi in their early years. - Michael Chagnon
Installation View, Rumi, Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON) © Aga Khan Museum / Janet Kimber.
Installation View, Rumi, Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON) © Aga Khan Museum / Janet Kimber.
Installation View, Rumi, Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON) © Aga Khan Museum / Janet Kimber.
Installation View, Rumi, Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON) © Aga Khan Museum / Janet Kimber.
Installation View, Rumi, Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON) © Aga Khan Museum / Janet Kimber.
Installation View, Rumi, Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, ON) © Aga Khan Museum / Janet Kimber.
Still-Life with Dishes. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, polyester, chiffon, silk, and inkjet print on silk-chiffon – 44”H x 75”W
Baby Crib. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, suede, chiffon, Turkish print textile, and postcard – 54”H x 81”W
Still-Life with Vacuum Machine. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, polyester, silk, chiffon, leather, Ikat-print fabric and denim – 63”H x 62”W
Still-Life with Chair. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, polyester, suede, chiffon, leather, vinyl fabric, and handmade embroidered Persian fabric – 64”H x 49.5”W
Still-Life with Travel Luggage. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, polyester, silk, velvet, suede, leather, and chiffons – 674”H x 62.5”W
Self Portrait with Jewelry. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, silk, chiffon, suede, and inkjet-print on silk chiffon – 36”H x 46”W
Still-Life with Ikat-Prints and Afghan-Suzani fabrics. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, silk, polyester, ikat-print fabric, afghan-embroidery fabric, and chiffon – 102”H x 73”W
Instant Henna. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, chiffon, polyester, and denim – 36”H x 28”W
Afghan-Ceramic. 2023 – Muslin, leather, cotton, chiffon, denim, and inkjet-print on silk-chiffon – 42.5”H x 36”W
Afghan Roat. 2023 – Muslin, cotton, clear vinyl, silk, chiffon, and inkjet print on chiffon – 39.3”H x 33”W
Afghan-Gelghoza. 2023 – Muslin, suede, polyester, silk, clear vinyl, and inkjet print on chiffon – 42”H x 31”W
Baba Rice. 2023 – Muslin, polyester, silk, chiffon, inkjet print, and color pencil on fabric – 45.5”H x 33.5”W
