Muscle Memory, Syrian Homecomings

Essma Imady’s multimedia installation, Muscle Memory, Syrian Homecomings, uses her memories of home as a raw material. Syrian born Imady explores how the concept of home is altered by the elements of time and distance, as well as etched away by the forces of war and political climate.    

Imady returned to her home of Damascus in 2018 for the first time since 2011. During her two-week visit, she was perforated by a sense of estrangement. This exhibition exposes how even memories that are buried remain in one’s body, a muscle memory that informs how we interact with the world; even when we no longer identify with those parts of our past. 

Her installations combine multiple mediums including sculpture and video to create a space that searches for a deeper empathy to counter generalized political narratives and simplified media platforms. She tells personal stories to draw attention to the stories we tell ourselves, how we construct our realities and make sense of trauma. For her these stories begin with how to process the meaninglessness in war and disaster that affect her former home of Syria. 

Opening and show run concurrent with Seeming by Torey Erin.