David B. Smith Gallery

Hangama Amiri
Henna Night/Shabe Kheena
April 29 – July 1, 2022

Friday, April 29, 6 – 8 PM: Opening Reception
Saturday, April 30, 2 PM: Conversation and exhibition walk-through with Hangama Amiri and Kate Mothes

Thursday, June 9, 6-7 PM: Artist talk and panel discussion at the Denver Art Museum


David B. Smith Gallery is proud to present for the first time in Denver a solo exhibition by internationally-acclaimed Afghan-Canadian artist Hangama Amiri. In this new body of work, Amiri sensitively explores the complex interior landscapes of domestic spaces. Through imagery that honors close bonds and togetherness, she places particular emphasis on women within these spaces, a subtle form of resistance against the reality of limited rights and visibility of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Amiri’s piercingly tender textile works focus on passage from room to room within the home, emblematic of transitions through life, and the family rituals and traditions that take place there.

The visual culture of Amiri’s hometown Kabul is preserved through the sort of personal, idiosyncratic touches that make home a familiar place, remote from the bustle of the streets or the bazaar – a motif that Amiri has previously explored. In contrast, these scenes portray a more intimate sense of routine, celebration, and relationship, in moments of energetic conversation or quiet repose. Referencing personal memories of her mother who regularly sewed and mended, and the women who were vital to the support and survival of the artist’s family when they arrived as refugees to Canada, Amiri’s painterly approach to textile and its links to women throughout history is also a statement of resilience.

This exhibition is curated with Kate Mothes, an independent curator and founder of Young Space, currently based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

About Hangama Amiri
Hangama Amiri works predominantly in textile to create images that reflect on ideas of home. Using a painterly approach to color and materials, Amiri reflects on how everyday objects are imbued with cultural memory. Amiri holds an MFA from Yale University and a BFA from NSCAD University in Halifax, NS. She was a Canadian Fulbright and Postgraduate Fellow at Yale University School of Arts and Sciences. Amiri lives and works in New Haven, CT.