Biography
Yostina Tawadrous is an emerging artist who makes work about connection and identity. She creates a large wooden puzzle which demonstrates how different components can unite to form one complete object. She handcrafts each piece through precise measurement and cutting before she assembles the parts.
The project uses puzzle pieces which represent different states through their Arabic names which have been burned into the wood. This practice creates personal significance between language and geographic location. The burning process creates an intense visual effect which enhances the appearance of the wood.
Her work is displayed on a table which allows visitors to view the complete puzzle while they examine each individual piece.Through her work she demonstrates how separate elements can possess distinct characteristics yet still form a cohesive whole.
Artist Statement
My project studies the relationship between geography and cultural identity through a wooden map which represents the United States. The work exists as a puzzle which uses state pieces to create the complete mapping solution. The artwork presents various cultural groups through its method of dividing the country into parts and reassembling them for display. The artist cuts each state from wood and creates its design through wood-burning techniques. I use Arabic text together with symbolic designs which I burn onto the wood surface. The marks on the surface function as artistic elements which create linguistic content, thereby enhancing the state representation. My artistic work uses wood as a primary material because its natural attributes create tangible physicality. The wooden map components allow viewers to interact with the mapping system through their actual weight while experiencing it as a real-world object instead of a mere visual representation. The artwork uses food as a symbol which appears in various parts of the project. Food represents culture, memory, and shared human experiences. Different foods often carry stories about migration, tradition, and the blending of cultures. The map transforms into a cultural document through its food references which show how different cultures interact and evolve through their encounters with one another. The installation requires viewers to walk around it because they need to view the map from an aerial position. The audience can see both the complete map design and the specific state details through this viewpoint. The work demonstrates how people build their identities through multiple elements which combine to create their identity as well as their sense of belonging to particular places.