Perfume in Exile (عطر الغربة)
Friends Artspace

Arlington, VA
January 25 — April 26​

2025

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Perfume in Exile (عطر الغربة) is a meditation on what we carry with us. The title is inspired by the French term, sillage, which describes how a scent lingers in the air. The exhibition considers the residues of place—both real and imagined—that persist through objects.
 

Friends Artspace presented the work of nine artists and design studios from Southwest Asia and North Africa and their diasporas: Afraa Ahmed (Yemen/Egypt), Anahita (Ani) Bradberry (Iran/USA), Maryam Al-Homaid (Qatar), Maryam Turkey (Iraq/USA), Moïo Studio (Palestine/France), Nour Hage (Lebanon/UAE), REJO Design Studio (Palestine/Saudi Arabia), Tamara Barrage (Lebanon/UAE), and Tamara Kalo (Lebanon/Saudi Arabia).
 

Drawing from their manifold cultural ties and contemporary design practices, these artists craft memory-laden, futurist works in ceramic, glass, textile, plaster and light—souvenirs of home that resound with intimacy and innovation. The exhibition was co-curated by Margaret Bakke and Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah.