KIKI SALEM IN CONVERSATION WITH THE CURATOR

How do you utilize animation to explore the memories of ancestors in your work?

I use the medium of animation to honor the work developed by women and craftspeople who came before me. I study their designs, learn the meanings represented in each motif, and seek to become fluent in their visual languages. After I learn and record these designs digitally, I reimagine them, tweak their colors, and make them move. The final work becomes a conversation between history and the present, and this can only happen through the process I’ve chosen.

Can you share one specific memory attached to one of the three patterns?

As far as patterns represented in the show, they are based on field research between Palestine and southern Spain, during trips I’ve gone on over the past few years. One of the works in particular, Wudu, has a nude color scheme that came from a bathroom tile design present in a family member’s home in Palestine. I remember really hating the brown to tan ombré tiles every time I visited. After making the design for the animation, I decided to revisit this color scheme and truly fell in love with the gradient. I visited that same relative’s home last year and showed them the animation that was inspired by their bathroom. It was a funny little full-circle moment.

What role does color play in the memories you depict in your animations?

Color is really important to the work I do. I feel as though all my life, I’ve been surrounded by vibrant colors. The majority of the gifts I received from my grandmother growing up were beautifully curated colorful crochet blankets, scarves, and hats—extensions of her warmth that still keep us covered even after she has passed on. In many ways, my use of colors is inspired by my ancestors’ mastery of color theory.

Can you describe your process of recreating the patterns and visual language of tiles in your work?

I’m constantly doing field research and remote research. I take photos of tiles in places I visit: mosques, homes, tile factories, shops, offices, etc. I have an archive of reference images from various places and sources. There is a tracing process that happens very early on when I begin to create an animation, mural, or digital design. Sometimes, I copy the design exactly from the reference image, and other times, I add or remove elements. I add color after the pattern of the animation is complete. Most of the time, I digitize the original color scheme, and then duplicate it in a new color scheme that matches my palette or what I’m feeling for the design. It ends up becoming a collaborative process with artists from a different time.

How does your work challenge traditional notions of representation in Arab American art?

I feel like my existence is a challenge to traditional notions of Arab American representation. I was raised very differently from a lot of Arabs in America, especially compared to people who hail from my village in Palestine. That being said, my hybridized upbringing is well reflected in my work. I feel as though this deviation from stark tradition has translated well in my art practice.

Kiki Salem (b. 1995, Al-Bireh, Palestine) is a St. Louis-based multidisciplinary Artist, Designer, Writer, Educator, Lover, Learner, and overall bad bitch. Through various mediums, with textiles at the focus, her practice covers topics of escapism, occidental assimilation, orientalism, experimental visual pattern development, linguistic hybridization, and the Palestinian question. Kiki is a member of the Screwed Arts Collective in St. Louis. Her wearable collection, Punk Ass Arab (@punk_ass_arab) can be found on Instagram.