Opening Reception: Feb 16, 6 - 9pm
Exhibition is on view Feb 17 - 24, 2024
Gallery hours: Wed - Sat: 12 - 5pm

A Diasporic Purgatory

Muna Malik’s work investigates the politics of land, nationhood, and belonging, reflecting on her experiences as a first generation immigrant of Yemeni and Somali heritage. Her work explores the complexities of diasporic identity against a backdrop of conflict, severe drought, increased displacement, and the broader socio-political landscape of migration.

This body of work brings together masks inspired by myth and Afro-Futurism, sculptures inspired by East African seafaring traditions, and a video installation that combines archival film footage from Somalia paired with footage the artist recorded in Kenya last summer. 

The exhibition is a multi-media installation that explores symbols of nationhood, migration and the poetics of myth-making to examine the concept of a "diasporic purgatory" — a perpetual state of existence characterized by paradoxes experienced by many within diasporic communities as a feeling of being caught between worlds. Malik’s work has been featured at the Parrish Art Museum, MOCA Geffen, The International Center of Photography, and ESMOA, and in publications such as The New York Times, LA Times, and Vogue. 

Exhibition supported by Epilogue Inc. International travel and research supported through a Macomber Travel Grant.