Spotlight Artist

Shir Bassa

MFA Annual
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement


My work examines questions of identity, gender, culture, and socio-economic status within the domestic and familial space. Printmaking is my primary, but not exclusive medium. The prints blend into site-specific installations and grant it—and the space—greater significance. As an artist, I am fascinated with the way that a home is perceived as a symbol of intimacy and primarily presented in a feminine point of view. I continue to examine the gaps that exist between perceptions, stereotypes, and reality through broader aspects that relate to the term “home.” As a woman, it is my role to present an updated statement on aspects that do not receive attention in society; to formulate them in an authentic manner and turn them into a significant part of our collective memory. By living in the multicultural United States, I want to show the gaps, the similarities, and the various sides of this place in relation to the Jewish-Arab culture that molded me. Thus, I provide foreign eyes with a close-up view of the issues that touch us all.

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