HOME SEWN

Home Sewn is a dual-exhibition that explores the recent works of quilter Bailey Raha and painter Minaa Mohsin. Both artists invoke the power of memory and tradition to inform their practices. Acknowledging the home as a place for artistry, these young women reimagine where creativity can manifest and how the new carries what came before.

"Deconstruct, dye, piece, stitch, repeat. I make one of a kind quilts from secondhand clothing and naturally dyed fabrics. Each piece is handmade. Women began making quilts with any bits of material available to them. Whether it was flour sacks or worn overalls, no bit of fabric was wasted. Incorporating secondhand clothing and linens into my work has become a way for me to honor this tradition of resourcefulness. I have begun to introduce new colors through experimenting with natural dyes. I am drawn to simple, traditional patterns, but also enjoy a more improvisational approach." - Bailey Raha

"We live our lives in the middle of things. The homes we maintain and the items we collect are all documentation of our personal histories for which we seek acknowledgment. With this bestowed power, inanimate objects participate as important decision makers in one’s life. Attachment with objects, specifically household items of utility, fascinates me. By creating portraits of these articles, I elevate their status from being mere possessions to being actual people. Humor is important to me. Like a standup comedian who makes jokes about family, I use humor to talk about attachment with material culture, and bourgeois aesthetics and aspirations that I have experienced growing up in Pakistan." - Minaa Mohsin

Olympia is a curatorial collective established in 2015 to increase representation of gender-marginalized artists in the fine arts.