"Imma" is the first completed artwork from my ongoing exploration of my ancestral Amazigh culture and the Shilha people. This journey began in mid-2018, sparked by a kind of personal reckoning—both physical and emotional—brought on by the weight of cultural identity I’d been carrying for so long. At the time, I was trying to make sense of who I was by working with the many different elements that shape me.

But this piece goes beyond research. It’s, above all, a tribute to my late great-grandmother. She passed away a year before I showed this work in the Erase to Make a Mark collective exhibition. Even though we had a cultural and linguistic gap between us that made communication hard, I learned so much just from being around her. I only wish we’d had the chance to speak more deeply.

She was strong, independent, and a true pillar of our family. Everyone looked up to her. We called her "Imma", which means "mother"— not just in the literal sense, but as a leader and figure of strength. Through her, I experienced something quite close to a matriarchal family structure, which deeply shaped how I see the world.

This piece is my homage to her and to the culture she embodied. It’s a world I’m connected to by heritage, but also by choice and curiosity —something I’ve come to take pride in, even though it has long been marginalized by colonialism and other forces.

The material I used for the artwork (aluminium foil) is fragile by design. It reflect the vulnerability this culture has lived through for centuries, yet also speak to its strength and endurance. The silver tone of the piece is inspired by traditional Amazigh people (Berber) holy jewelry— precious, sacred, and passed down through generation. I used to own and wear a Berber ring I got in 2016 from my mother as a symbol of this connection, until I sadly lost it at the airport in 2022.

This work is not just about the past. It’s about memory, resilience, and finding where I belong.