ARTIST STATEMENT

As a devout Muslim, I have been raised to value peace, respect and humanity because  Islam teaches that every life is precious. The genocide in Palestine is a harsh reminder that this view is not universal. I visited Palestine in 2022 and developed a great respect and fondness for the land and its people, who stimulated a protective instinct. Mainstream US media paints a very different picture. It is this injustice which provoked me to investigate the topic. I am fortunate to live in a time of social media and photojournalism because “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing” (X 1998). To portray the discrepancies between the media monoliths of the US and on-the-ground journalism, I use methods that alter and subvert digital media. The way in which I tamper with the media makes a statement against those who disseminate false or altered information. My work concerns a side-by-side view from different sources, so it is mediated several times before it reaches you, the viewer. Just as everything is subjective and personal, everything we consume as truth is mediated.  

X, M. 1998. The autobiography of Malcom X. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.