Michelle S. Emami

            As a biracial woman of color, born in Southern California, I had always pondered the question of acceptance of my background within the American Culture.  But, as a young girl, my passion for the arts was the one means of stability within my internal struggles of how to identified myself.  My love for the arts was what pushed me to obtain a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from California State University – Fullerton.  During that time, my artistic passion to portray my cultural identity was not fully clear, but I knew that my artistic passion was rooted in my life experiences and memories.

 

            For the past six years, my work at CSUF focused on hyper realistic imagery from my life which I would distort through the use of surrealism in order to reflect my emotional experience. I used my experiences, to create unbound possibilities, by giving myself permission to warp these memories and thus, to hold the freedom to think outside the box and create a whole new vision of how the world could be.   This freedom, to twist reality and create a whole new way of thinking, allowed my work to present my biracial identity, and to bring cultural awareness for others like myself. My artistic passion of depicting my cultural identity through my work is what also motivated me to pursue a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate University.

 

            For the next two years, I pushed the boundaries of fusing my two cultural backgrounds through the use of repetition, pattern, and design.  The desire to reveal the cultural significance behind my work, beyond the stereotypes, is what inspired me.  My desire to fully represent both my Mexican and Iranian cultures, while countering the negativity of not being viewed as a true American, caused me to focus my work on beauty rather than ugliness.  By fusing my cultural backgrounds together, rather than compartmentalizing them, I had the freedom to dismantles untrue standards. My intent was for the viewer to see the cultural and human connections that exist amongst all of us.  Once they do see these connections, they would be able to indulge in an enriching experience; the beautiful blending of many cultures.