Aneesa Shami Zizzo
The Good War
Reclaimed fabric applique
2020
The Good War is part of Aneesa Shami Zizzo's "Reclamation" series, blending abstract memory landscapes with Islamic folklore. Using reclaimed fabric and applique techniques, creating this piece relies on making-while-mediating mindset to evoke a sense of the collective unconscious through material exploration.
Repurposing material is an important part of my practice, and textiles speak to me the most. Currently, I am working with fabric samples from a local design firm in Los Angeles, and use traditional applique techniques to mimic the informal look of collage. Referencing my first trip to Lebanon, I depict specific historical sites and blend them with imagery from Islamic folklore. These abstracted landscapes have formed a new, personal mythos, combining my memories with illustrations of angels, jinn, and the imaginal realm they live in.
Each piece speaks to a larger understanding that we are all fundamentally human. I try to utilize universal themes that the viewer can connect with by referencing the sublime, drawing on world mythologies and sharing an otherworldly sense of the human conscious and subconscious. I want to connect with others on a visceral level through the use of formal elements: movement, color, and form. I hope my work evokes a larger understanding that we are all human and we are all connected.
Aneesa Shami Zizzo is an artist and arts-based researcher in Los Angeles using recycled materials to create fiber art. Zizzo’s work has been exhibited nationally in galleries and museums. She recently created costumes for Planet City (2020), directed by Liam Young, which was commissioned for the NGV Triennial 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Aneesa Shami Zizzo is also the co-owner and director of Studio 203, an artist-run project space in Los Angeles established in February 2020 to collaborate with forward- thinking individuals and support fellow artists.
