Shaima Oumer

If I were to (God forbid) die today, how would I want people to remember me?

Would they remember me for who I truly am, unfiltered, or through their own perceptions and narrative?

Hayati (My Life) explores a multidisciplinary form of archiving that can provide and equip potential future historians with information that can accurately depict my life, my journey, thoughts, memories, struggles, growths, and insecurities in the context of experiencing diaspora in New Zealand.

I’m interested in the way materials can be used to connect myself to spaces and periods of time. Where Libyan sand has been used to connect the artworks to my homeland, while woven Te Kōuka ropes represent my growth and the influence of Māori culture and communities in shaping my identity. These materials symbolise the connections that have helped fill cultural gaps throughout my journey.

Inspired by Libyan pottery, I created three vessels representing different aspects of my identity: my orientation and growth within my family and our relationship over time, the hidden struggles behind personal growth, the feeling of living with missing pieces of my cultural identity.

The remaining artworks explore fragmented memories, forgotten experiences and cultural disconnection. Through painting, patterns and glazes, I document moments and places that have faded or remained just out of reach. Creating a form of linguistics and storytelling through Libyan cultural motifs.