Remember her, Hodan Abdulwahed, 2020
The driving force behind my work was to show others a glimpse of my culture, as it means a significant amount to me. My inspiration was to show something different, and I think showcasing culture will do that. I selected my process because I wanted to connect with my roots and I spent a large amount of time researching clothes, symbolic elements from my heritage. What I would like for my viewers to take away would be to look at Somali culture from a different perspective, differently than how one might have previously received it. The materials I used mean a lot to me as they represent my culture. The lighting was made to draw attention to the photo, to make it look light in some places and dark in some. What inspired me the most was my grandmother before she passed, and I had an opportunity to learn more about my cultural background. She explained what our clothes and symbolic objects represented, I used this knowledge to inspire my work.