"WITH ONE VOICE" SERIES ​

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“With One Voice” continues my “Beautiful Voice” series, where I capture women’s strength, solidarity, and diversity through layered textures and colour. This body of work extends my exploration of identity through mixed-media collage on wood panels. I combine textured decorative papers from Japan, India, and other regions with paint, using these materials to symbolize the complex and multifaceted nature of women’s lives. The durability of the wood panels reflects resilience, while the papers contribute cultural depth, organic movement, and tactile presence that guide each figure into being.

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As an African-born South Asian woman and former refugee, I feel a deep connection to these figures. They embody beauty, struggle, and the resilience carried in women’s stories. Their voices emerge through individuality, cultural identity, and physical form.

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In these works, the figures dissolve into one another in quiet unison. Layered skin tones, collaged fabric patterns, and garments reminiscent of ethnocentric textiles affirm heritage and identity. Simplified facial features and postures allow me to emphasize emotion and expression through pared-down form. The interplay of paint and paper produces a tactile intimacy that invites viewers into the quiet presence of each figure.

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The women I create do not speak loudly, but their presence resonates. “With One Voice” reflects shared rhythm and memory shaped by intertwined lives. Their closeness, with bodies leaning against each other, shows resilience sustained by connection. For me, this collective strength restores dignity, affirms identity, and opens space for healing.