Exhibition · Abakus Projects · Other
In her series, “Made in USA, صنع في أمريكا,” Eid utilizes upcycled materials from thrift stores, found objects, and heirloom jewelry to reenvision scenes from the Middle East’s Levant region. Creating bold and vibrant self-portraits in a red white and blue color palette, Eid explores her Muslim Arab identity while challenging the gaze of 19th and early 20th century European orientalist photographers, whose works are referenced and researched by Eid. Shown alongside Eid’s works are a number of historical photographs from the Levant region on loan from the Estate of Dr. Mohammed B. Alwan, an Iraqi-born scholar and one of the world’s foremost experts on Iraqi and Arabic poetry. A Professor Emeritus at Tufts University, Dr. Alwan was instrumental in the establishment of the Arabic program at Tufts. We thank the estate and our longtime colleagues at Ars Libri Ltd. for providing us with access to these important works. ARTIST STATEMENT My discomfort with this title is a reflection of what I’ve felt living here most of my life, but particularly the years when I was a teenager. In 2001, 9/11 happened and I was a 15 year old freshman in high school. I was confidently unconfident in so many ways, and every day I stepped out of the house with fabric flowing from my head. It was the year I experienced harm and violence towards my body. After school one day, a classmate approached me and said he would protect his country and had a knife. What happened after I can barely remember, I think the only “protecting” my mind could comprehend was shutting itself off. If this was his country, then what country was I from? That question would be reinforced many times throughout my life as I tried to be at home in a place where I never felt at home. After the Muslim ban in 2017, I felt that traumatic experience re-enter my body. The first image from this series was created that year titled Artificial Sweetener and featured a fabric rose shoved in my mouth. The rose, a symbol of heritage…