- 2-D animation
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Rooted in a Cultural Discourse
Connect me with Arnela Mahmutovic
Trazim Pane Detail
Nasla Sam Pane (I Found Paneh), Etching ink on copper plate, 2017, 60 x 72 inches
Trazim Pane (Looking for Paneh), Oil on canvas, 2017, 60 x 72 inches
Self Portrait, Drypoint etching and monotype on paper, 2016, 18 x 24 inches
Nasla Sam Pane Detail
Description
Growing up my parents were afraid I was being tainted with a culture that was so different than their own. They didn't leave room for the possibility that we could find a healthy in-between. Their rejection of a society that we were now a part of pushed my desire for further inquiry. I couldn't accept that there was an ultimate choice that I had to be more Bosnian than I was American. If I loved both cultures, there has to be a way of life being influenced by the two.
This is what drives my investigation within the studio, the constant push and pull of my Bosnian upbringing within an American society. Where I once focused on the effect of tension caused by conflicting cultural values in my earlier work, my thesis focuses on using those feelings as a vehicle for comparison. The attention is no longer placed on one against the other but a further inquiry as to how two cultures can thrive together.
Other Projects by Arnela Mahmutovic
Arnela Mahmutovic
BFA Alumni
Major: Painting
Graduation Year: 2017
Artist Statement:
My growth as an artist has always lived within a cultural geography. Being born into a very conservative Bosnian family and then moving to America created an intense shift in my development as an individual. My understanding of the world is in constant flux as these two cultures come together. Through my work I aim not to state that one perspective is superior to another, but instead that there is a harmony I seek that lies between the two.
I see in my work a dialogue between material and content. By exploring different processes, the goal is to reflect on the different inquiries of cultural identity I propose within each piece. My thesis is a continued exploration of identity through the lens of a shared Bosnian and American experience. Through the process of painting and printmaking, I have turned self-portraiture into something malleable, metaphorically representing Bosnian tradition through a contemporary American dialogue.
Using my artistic process as a way to communicate globally, I want to connect to individuals of different backgrounds, giving way to conversations that extend beyond the art world.