Hangama Amiri: Textile Narratives

Artalogue

Hangama Amiri, an acclaimed Afghan-Canadian textile artist, joins us to share her remarkable journey from painting to textiles, drawing deeply from her Afghan heritage and personal history. In our conversation, Amiri explains how she transforms fabrics to tell a story with her art and how powerful the medium is to express authenticity and connection.
We also shine a light on the resilience of Afghan women through salon culture, a fascinating aspect of Amiri's experiences during her visits to Afghanistan that have become prominent in her work. These salons are more than spaces for beauty—they are bastions of resistance and entrepreneurship in male-dominated settings. Amiri reflects on the art world's often narrow views on textiles and shares insights inspired by her academic journey, challenging the notion that textile art is merely craft. Her experiences at NASCAD and Yale underscore the importance of diversity and representation in fostering artistic growth and confidence.
In our final segment, Amiri reflects on her transition to an independent artistic practice and the freedom it offered to develop her unique voice. Aspiring artists will find her advice invaluable: understanding your relationship with your materials and staying true to your intuition as key to authentic expression.
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Hangama Amiri holds an MFA from Yale University, where she graduated in 2020 from the Painting and Printmaking Department. She received her BFA from NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is a Canadian Fulbright and Post-Graduate Fellow at Yale University School of Art and Sciences (2015-2016). She is also a Kaiserring Stapendiatin of 2023 by Monchehaus Museum in Goslar, Germany. Her recent exhibitions include A Quiet Resistance (2023) at Monchehaus Museum, Goslar, Germany; A Homage to Home (2023) at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; Sharjah Biennial 15: Thinking Historically in the Present (2023), Sharjah, UAE; Reminiscences (2022) at Union Pacific in London; Henna Night/ Shabe Kheena (2022) at David B. Smith Gallery, Denver, CO; Mirrors and Faces (2021) at Cooper Cole Gallery, Toronto; Wandering Amidst the Colors (2021) at Albertz Benda, New York, NY; Spectators of a New Dawn (2021), Towards Gallery, Toronto; and Bazaar: A Recollection of Home (2020) at T293 Gallery, Rome, Italy.
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Cover photo taken by Denis Gutiérrez-Ogrinc.

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Be a guest on The Artalogue Podcast

章

1. Exploring Textile Art With Hangama Amiri (00:00:00)

2. Revolutionizing Gender and Textile Art (00:12:40)

3. Navigating Artistic Identity After Yale (00:19:28)

4. Artistic Growth and Recognition Through Institutions (00:29:49)

5. Exploring Career Highlights and Advice (00:33:21)