Anisa Rahaman

Artist Statement

My Afro-Indo Caribbean roots and Black identity are forever the foundation of my creative perspective. During the pandemic, working in refugee camps and international emergency intake shelters further inspired my artistic expression of identity and landscape. The significance of paying both historical homage and expanding contemporary interpretations of mythology, familial rituals, Islamic cultural touchstones, Caribbean lore, wordplay and multi-linguistics, and Black empowerment—especially for women, female-presenting, feminine-identifying people—are the hallmarks of my creations. Humor and street-smarts are vehicles for challenging perspectives. Enduring and revolting against erasure, I hope my art allows other underrepresented intersectional identities to feel acknowledged, embraced, and known.