Threshold (2022)

Overview

Hangama Amiri combines sewn textile work with hand-painted elements to create images that reflect on conceptions of contemporary Afghan life. Her large-scale, interactive installation Threshold (2022) features a mural- sized textile comprising a variety of hand-sewn fabrics resembling the design of Afghan girls’ school uniforms accompanied by 18 sets of school tables and benches. It thus evokes the material specificity of an Afghan classroom. Amiri was six years old in 1996, when the Taliban seized power and banned girls’ education. Inspired by her own personal memories and the renewed threat to women’s rights posed by the Taliban’s recent return to power, Threshold provides an immersive space to reflect on the labour and educational experiences of women under a patriarchal system.