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Never the Right Tongue, 2019

Laser Cut Plexi Glass

Dimensions Varied 

Aphasia, 2019

Laser Cut Plexi Glass

Dimensions Varied 

Aphasia is defined as, the loss of speech and language as a result of a traumatic incident. This piece showcases how the immigrant experience of being “othered” is often translated into trauma, and how such trauma can cause Aphasia. The bent acrylic glass speaks to the gaps the artist feels in her inability to express a thought using either of the languages she speaks, English and Arabic. The "tip of the tongue feeling" takes a different level of ache when one realizes that it is possible to not have the right words in the language you need it in. Using laser cut hand bent plexiglass, the artist explores how material and language can translate into a fragile yet resilient state of being. While the text offers a  translation in both Arabic or English, the encompassing notions of nostalgia, pain and the grief associated with losing your ability to communicate are evident in the stark contrast of the plexiglass as well as its movement. 

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