يا ماما (Ya Mama)

Intaglio, Letterpress, Typewriter, Colored pencil, Embroidery, Textile 9x9” shut, 2022

A soft sculpture book exploring my relationship with my mother: the ways that relationship has changed over time, how we mirror one another, the love and loneliness of life, how we have bonded through food and cooking, and how, ultimately, she too is someone’s daughter. It is a direct line to my mother, containing her recipes, her notes to me, my writing back to her in broken Arabic, etched prints of scenes directly from the kitchen with the two of us. “يا ماما” could be how someone refers to their mother, but it could also be an expression of fear; yikes. In both instances, one needs their mother. It’s about feeling small, comforted, anxious. It’s about how my mother and I both felt the same in our lives; we both needed our mother.