Raya Shanawani

Biography

Raya Shanawani is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Jordan. In her practice, Raya explores aspects of her identity as an Arab Muslim woman through her reflections on constructed representations, internalized imagery, personal and collective experiences through self-portraiture. In 2019, Raya received her BA in visual arts from the University of Jordan with a concentration on drawing and painting and is currently in the MFA program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Raya will be graduating in the spring of 2023. Through her teaching experience in the field of visual arts prior to her MFA, Raya took part in several workshops in the fields of art and academic instruction in the arts in Jordanian and international institutions including the Jordanian National Gallery of Fine Arts, MMAG Foundation, and QRTA. Her work has been exhibited in Jordan and Boston, MA. Recent shows include Emerging Artists Exhibition at Jodar Artistry, On Arts Archives Exhibition at the Jordanian National Gallery of Fine Arts, Visions and Revisions, an MFA group show at Nearby Gallery, the opening show of the Arab Theatre Festival at the Cultural Palace, the Opening show at Outique Art Space, and Furthermore: a look beyond and through two-person show at Mission Hill Gallery.

Artist Statement

I’m fluid, and so is my practice. I am a multidisciplinary artist, however; drawing and painting lie at the root of my practice. Through ongoing research, I’m interested in exploring the parallels and intersections in historical and contemporary representations of Middle Eastern women in visual culture. By drawing on visual references and creating metaphors, my work aims to deconstruct preconceived images of my cultural identity and to create a space for conversation, celebration, and reconciliation. Throughout this process, I intend formulate a deeper understanding of a subconscious construction of a complex cultural identity by taking my own experience as a point of departure and exploring the relationship between my own body and the space that surrounds it. Through veiling and unveiling, literally and metaphorically, I strive to find autonomy, empowerment, and intersections in my personal and cultural identities. 

In that sense, my work stems from life experiences, memory, and the belief in the fluidity of identity in time and space and the constant shifting of roles that come with this fluidity. My paintings are rooted in the idea that the personal is political, they celebrate my identity as a(n) (Arab)/ Middle-Eastern woman and are an expression of my identity as an artist. Furthermore, they are a form of resistance to a constructed image, a gaze, and an imposed expectation. In capturing the vulnerable, performative, visible, and intimate moments, my practice attempts to reflect our collective humanism through a personal lens. Through a visual dialogue between the abstract and the representational, my practice sheds light on the pain, beauty, and ambivalence in our lives.