ARTIST STATEMENT
Focusing on the defining imagery and elements of Bosnian culture is crucial as I create work in a manner reflecting the inherited traditions and taught lifestyle while simultaneously asserting my own identity and culture within that context. In recent work, I create work incorporating craft and handiwork using materials like embroidery, wood, beading. In this sense, I am exploring topics such feminine roles and preservation while processing significance that my background has to my identity. Using personal experiences while maintaining a research-based, journalistic method, allows me to look through two lenses at once and continue to uncover trends and how old values transform into modern practices.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ilhana Kisija is a first generation Bosnian-American, Chicago-based artist who works with various mediums such as ink, digital media, acrylic, relief print, fabric, and wood. As a graphic design major on track to graduate in 2025, Ilhana has completed an internship with North Park University’s marketing department. Heavily influenced by her Eastern European upbringing, Ilhana investigates the balance between her American and Bosnian identities, which manifests in her work with themes such as intercommunication, nostalgia, resilience, and generational trauma. She is particularly interested in the impact of language and handcraft, referencing ethnic symbolism to create patterns that bridge the two focuses. Through layered and detailed processes, she combines her knowledge of design with traditional art to create pieces with story-like narrative that speak to a range of first generation and diaspora populations.
© Ilhana Kisija