(be) Longing

Completed

2022

Medium

Thread, tulle

Dimensions

20 x 24”

Description

My work explores the liminal spaces of diaspora, examining the emotional and cultural weight of displacement. Reflecting on my family’s journey from refugees to immigrants in the United States, I consider how this transition shapes identity, memory, and belonging. To counter the erasure of indigenous histories, I preserve and reimagine my family’s past through fiber arts, embroidering old photographs left behind in the aftermath of genocide or marking our transition to the States. The loose, layered stitches evoke the fragility of memory, where home is often found in what remains. By stitching personal and collective narratives, I invite viewers to engage with the immigrant experience, one shaped by the lasting impacts of imperialism and colonialism yet deeply rooted in family and resilience.

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About this Artist

Beizar Aradini

Beizar Aradini was born in Mardin, Kurdistan and immigrated with her family to Nashville, Tennessee in 1992. Her work unravels her family’s story as immigrants and examines cultural displacement and collective memory work through storytelling. Aradini’s artwork has been featured in exhibitions at the Frist Art Museum, Tennessee State Museum, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art and galleries throughout the United States, including Woman Made Gallery, Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Leu Gallery, Julia Martin Gallery and many more. Aradini was awarded “Best in Show” in the Best of Tennessee Craft 2021 Biennial at Tennessee State Museum and was selected as South Arts 2023 Tennessee State Fellow. She has been awarded scholarships and grants that have helped propel her career from Tennessee Craft, South Arts, Metro Arts Commission, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Currently, Aradini is living in Chicago and is pursuing her master’s degree at School of the Art…

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