Mother Moth, oil on canvas, 24"x36", 2021.
Opening Reception Saturday March 12, 2022, 6-9pm.
Moth in a Disco Room is an exploration of identity through the visual and material history of Bangladeshi textile work. Farah Billah’s Thesis Exhibition encompasses oil paintings, line drawings, and a hand tufted textile rug.
Billah navigates her own cultural memory through her mother’s sarees and by placing them on the bodies of women who keep that knowledge. These women are presented in a range of forms, frequently embellished in illustrious patterns and created with bold physical features and colors. Their skin has been emboldened with the green of the Bangladeshi flag and the brown of paper and paint. This series of paintings is an homage to the Bengali women in her family, the one’s making garments for the world, in the factories of Bangladesh, and an acknowledgement of the creative spirit passed from one generation to another.
The patterns and imagery in embroidery, fabrics, and jewelry of Bengali culture are seen throughout the exhibition, while the works also carry surrealist elements allowing for an immersive experience.
Dancing Moth, oil on canvas, 24"x36", 2021.
Spirit in the Arms of my Own, pen on tan toned paper, 10"x12", 2019.