Salaam Alaikum series

“Salaam Alaikum” is a series of monoprints drawing lines from Muradi’s eponymous poem, which is concerned with how daily greetings take on new tenor in times of war. Here, greetings in Dari are layered with transliterations in English. Lines from the poem are in conversation with the meaning of the greetings. For example, “manda nabasheyn” is an expression of welcome that literally translates to “may you not be tired.” Whereas the full poem takes a dark turn with the arrival of war, in these excerpts we are interested in the interchange and play of languages, hand stenciled shapes, and colors—meeting, caressing, layering, as our languages do for each of us.

Collaborated with Sahar Muradi to print a series of monotypes based on her poems. Our prints are a part of Of Soil and Tongues at Hampshire College Art Gallery. The exhibit is curated by Amy Halliday and Jocelyn Edens and runs from June 1 to October 1, 2017.