BEIZAR ARADINI
  • Home
  • Selected Works
  • Projects and Workshops
  • C/V
  • Press
  • Bio/Contact
  • Commissions
We Count: First Time Voters
​in collaboration with Frist Art Museum 
Picture
Picture
My Existence is Political, 2019
Embroidery thread on fabric 
Poem by Drenusha Kolshi
Translation by Mimoza Kolshi
"We Count: First-Time Voters honored the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and the importance of civic engagement by highlighting the history of voting in the United States and the first voting experiences of a diverse group of Nashvillians. Five local artists created visual representations of these voting experiences in a variety of mediums."

Artist Statment: When I think of voter’s rights, I think of citizenship and legal identification. I am the daughter of immigrants. When my parents became citizens, it gave them a new identity, protection, security, and comfort. In this work, I weave a story from the perspective of someone who is going through the lengthy process of gaining citizenship. The figure on display is my friend Drenusha Kolshi. As a child, her family immigrated to America from Kosovo in 1999, fleeing a civil war. As an adult she recognized the privileges and comforts that come with becoming naturalized. My conversations with Drenusha inspired me to think about the ways in which individuals are identified within society. In this work, I wanted to visually mimic an ID portrait. Identifiers like height and nationality are not listed here. The poem, written by Drenusha herself, signifies the deeper personal lives that all people live—both immigrants and citizens. The embroidered portrait and the poem, considered together, represent the vast amount of expressive freedom that is afforded those with citizenship. These expressions not only define who we are as individuals, but as a collective whole, they are what makes our society great.
Your Story Continues 2018
in collaboration with Frist Art Museum and Oasis Center 
Picture
Picture
The Frist Art Museum collaborated with Oasis Center’s International Teen Outreach Program (ITOP) in June 2018 on the creation of "Your Story Continues".  Reflecting on stories they had written, ITOP teens illustrated these quilted squares, which represent each teen’s heritage and hopes for the future.
 
This project, a statement of our growing local community, expresses dreams of developing a better world for all, including those who seek refuge. This quilt was exhibited in solidarity with the United Nations’ World Refugee Day, which takes place on June 20 every year, and shows how youth voices of any background can overcome barriers and rise above doubt.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Selected Works
  • Projects and Workshops
  • C/V
  • Press
  • Bio/Contact
  • Commissions