Janna Afifa

My Mother is Under My Skin

Acrylic, oil, and embroidery floss on canvas, 6 x 4 ft

“My work explores matrilineal trauma and the physicality of it in our bodies by using embroidery; 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.”