Handmade objects collected from a global upbringing occupied all corners of my childhood home. Earthenware from Panama. Shawls from Peshawar. My woodworker mother’s furniture - a tribute to our South Asian heritage. I grew up absorbed in the patterns and materials, tracing the artist's mark in each piece with my eyes and hands. Years later I found myself living back in that house, rocking my newborn in my mom’s maple chair, studying the mirror work in a tapestry as he cooed at the reflections it made on the ceiling. Seeing the same objects through his eyes inspired me to create art that seeks to harmonize past and future and honors the reinvention inherent in immigrant experiences. From that threshold, I share my own sense of discovery and belonging and hope it will help wearers connect with the beauty that is present in all people and places.
Aalia Mujtaba is a Pakistani-American metalsmith living in Clarkston, GA, where she shares her life and love of art with her husband and son.
