Faculty of Art
Drawing and Painting
Meet the Artist
Janna
Afifa
Drawing and painting
“I am an academically minded diligent worker who learns fast. I have experience in many mediums of paint and drawing, with and expanding skillset within textiles and wool works ranging from embroidery to crochet. My work changes with me, and for this exhibition, my path has led me to deep introspection about my relationship to my mother, to heritage, and the struggle of running from the roots that grow out of your own feet. ”

My work explores matrilineal trauma and the physicality of it in our bodies by usingembroidery; a craft laden with history and meaning both personal and cultural, with a more traditionally western form of painting, harking to the mingling of cultures across diaspora in the west, and the challenges that come with it. The reality of Asian mother-daughter relationships are often misunderstood and understated, leading to a widespread lack of proper representation in most media. Researching the physical reality of trauma aids my exploration of how it flows and functions specifically in the context of mothers, while also helping me learn to better navigate the complicated relationship I have with my own mother, which I often find difficult to rationalise. The materials in these works and the imagery seeks to explore these intricacies, to make tangible my constant internal struggle that I can barely begin to make sense of.
OCAD U - Faculty of Arts & Science
Entrepreneurship & Social Inn.
Minor In progress, 2025
Painting (acrylic, oil, gouache, watercolour) Embroidery and textile

Celebrate the work of OCAD U’s class of 2024/2025!