Kansas City’s Kemper Museum Showcases Afghan Immigrant Artist’s Tribute to Homeland

Homage to Home: An Afghan Immigrant and Artist’s Heartfelt Tribute

Kansas City’s Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is currently showcasing a unique and powerful exhibition, “Hangama Amiri: A Homage to Home”. This impactful portrayal of resilience and memory is crafted by the Afghan Canadian artist, Hangama Amiri. Shedding light on her experiences under Taliban rule, Amiri effectively depicts a vibrant homage to the home she was forced to leave behind.

Exploring Connections through Mixed Media Art

Prominently featured is Amiri’s 14 x 16-foot piece, “Bazaar” (2020), which integrates a multitude of textiles such as cotton, chiffon, muslin, silk, and suede. This impressive artwork also incorporates inkjet prints on paper and canvas, paper, plastic, acrylic paint, and marker. The multifaceted composition of this piece is a testament to the artist’s innovative exploration of various media.

Amiri’s work delves into the historically rich facets of Afghan culture, presenting viewers with thoughtful examinations of concepts such as Afghan bazaars, nail salons, tailor shops, and the significant issues surrounding food production.

A Journey of Resistance and Adaptation

Fleeing Kabul with her family at just seven years old, Amiri spent nine years separated from her father, shuttling through Central Asia as refugees. As a teenaged refugee, she eventually arrived in Canada in 2005, remarking on her poignant journey from “forced exile to forced assimilation”.

Art as a Tool for Resistance

Amiri’s foundation in art is noted as being distinctive, free from the conventional tools and galleries, rather deeply embedded in fabrics. The frayed edges encountered in her textiles are emblematic of fragments of a past that remains raw and impacted by experiences of upheaval.

Several pieces in the exhibit directly comment on the freedoms of Afghan women before the significant changes brought about in 1996, with the formal closure of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the ushering in of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

A Celebration of Women’s Voices

“Hangama Amiri: A Homage to Home” is seen as carrying a hopeful message. It serves not just as a visual archive of a remembered culture and home but also as a bold statement of resistance. In her piece “New Born, Baby Girls” (2022), she visualizes the affected future generations in Afghanistan and conveys a hopeful outlook for a better future despite ongoing challenges.

Communal Resonance

Curator Krista Alba expresses a shared sentiment, acknowledging the significance of having this exhibition in Kansas City. She notes the potential resonance that Hangama Amiri’s works could have with many local diasporic communities. This is particularly relevant considering the recent influx of refugees to the United States, including approximately one thousand Afghan immigrants who moved to Kansas City in 2021.

The exhibition will continue at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art until August 25. With the museum open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and extended hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday; art enthusiasts, historians, and curious minds alike will have ample opportunities to immerse themselves in this deeply personal, culturally rich display.