Huda Salha

Feet-Leave-Traces-That-Remain-When-Souls-Fly-Away

I am a multidisciplinary Toronto-based artist and researcher working in a variety of media
including painting, sculpture, installation and video art. My work addresses issues of identity,
displacement, and memory. I am intrigued by the way identity and memory are interwoven with place through political and cultural boundaries. My visual narratives are informed by childhood memories, family anecdotes, and historical and geographical references. I have explored artworks and artifacts as sites of memory and knowledge producing pedagogical tools through art-based storytelling. Thus, I have argued against some claims that art cannot be counted as a form of knowledge production. My current practice-based research explores decolonization and resistance through cultural production, storytelling, and critical pedagogies. It investigates the relationship material culture and artworks hold with place and identities; and the connection between bodies as makers and artworks as transmitters of bodily memories connected with place. Using anti-oppressive framework, my work aims to shed light on dominant epistemologies and oppressions for social change, equity, and inclusivity.
In an attempt to approach representations of self and the surrounding, I employ visual vocabulary consisting of lines, colours, forms, and images drawn from my lived experiences, ancestral heritage and the surrounding. I have worked with various media, including oil and acrylic painting, bronze casting, sculptural installations and film production.