EFA STUDIO PROGRAM: Member Artists
Negin Mahzoun
In Negin’s artistic practice, she delves into the realms of observation, memory, and gender, weaving a narrative that intertwines personal experiences with cultural identity. Central to her exploration is the nuanced perspective of the woman's body—simultaneously object and subject—examined through the lenses of self-portraiture, layered history, and literature. Negin uses images in miniature paintings as a reference for self-portraits. In addition, she expresses my work through sculptures, installations, paintings, prints, photography, and textile.
In Negin’s current practice, she uses sewing, which connects her to her family's professional heritage. The series she presents, "I Am Not a Tale to Be Told," draws from contemplating the damages inflicted by society, family, and culture. Struggling to recollect these experiences, Negin’s mind and body resist acknowledgment, leaving her in a paradoxical state of insensibility. In the face of this psychological struggle, she finds solace in the human body as a testament to trauma. Through stitching and sewing, Negin binds her sentiments to materials, using my hands, craft, and textiles to convey remembrance. In this process, she is not merely documenting the scars; she is engaged in a slow, deliberate act of repairing her wounded self. The repetitive nature of sewing mirrors the cyclical nature of emotional turmoil. Each stitch is a simultaneous act of remembrance and self-inflicted damage, a tangible manifestation of the complex interplay of anger, self-destruction, and anxiety. Like a relentless loop, these emotions intensify with each needle's prick, leading to numbness and paralysis akin to a discarded piece of fabric—silent, heavy, and laden with pain. To acknowledge the problem is to make sense of the seemingly senseless, marking the beginning of a profound journey.
