Sarah-Mecca Abdourahman

Chez soi

Galeri B, Boulair Griffintown | April 1 to April 30, 2023

Chez soi is a continuation of Sarah-Mecca Abdourahman’s series titled L’exil, animating the concept of being chased away by “home,” as defined by Warsan Shire in her poem titled Home. Shire depicts the Somali migrant and refugee experience of forcibly fleeing a native country. She personifies “home,” chasing the people away. Abdourahman further elaborates on her experience as a first-generation Canadian, defining this concept as the second chase—a result of residing in a country where diasporic communities experience discrimination and xenophobia—creating a longing to return to the homeland.

 Abdourahman shares her reconnection to home, featuring a character residing in a pseudo-dystopian world referencing a multi-camera sitcom. The character attempts to escape this nightmare and finds ways to reconnect with her notion of home. The loop format accentuates a never-ending cycle toward this necessary reconnection to community, family, and country. The story is concluded as unresolved to represent endless questions of the third space (coined by Homi K. Bhabha) experienced by diasporic communities.