Migrant – Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI

As the artist conducted genealogical research, she frequently relied on photographs to connect stories across borders and time. Wedding photographs of her ancestors, captured as bride and groom, became a key source of information for Chimera. Wedding photographs and the few family pictures she could find contained names and dates inscribed on the photo cards, which helped the artist identify deceased family members. For that reason, Chimera used her own wedding gown and veil, and took up the trade of her Lebanese predecessors to hand-work bead, glass, text, and paper applications across the garments. Her great-grandfather’s signature, Eddie Ferris, scrolls across the back, and Arabic text copied from a 1900 photo caption inks the dress from top to bottom with her great-grandmother’s words and maiden name. It reads, “This is our family photo, Haneen Shibly Messrani.”

Polyester, silk, and paper applique, and beaded mannequin, 2018

The World is A Wedding, 2018

The World is A Wedding, 2018

The World is A Wedding (detail of train), 2018

The World is A Wedding (detail of train), 2018

During the early 20th century, intricate wedding garments, such as this veil, were treasured heirlooms owned by wealthy brides. Yet these delicately handmade works were created by recent immigrants filling low-wage textile industry jobs left vacant by American citizens. Chimera’s Lebanese grandparents arrived to the United States separately through Ellis Island, married in 1908 and then moved to Massachusetts to eventually settle in New Jersey as garment tailors.

The botanical references in this piece are many, but the most prominent ones are the large blue pa‘ūohi‘iaka flower at the bottom, pua kala and hāhā at the top. The koa‘e‘kea bird appliqued onto the fabric is indigenous to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Rooted to a region, yet in flight, they resonate with the artist’s experience as a member of the Filipina and Lebanese diaspora who simultaneously feels connected to Hawai‘i, her birthplace, and yet remains tied to very different parts of the world.

oil, silk, car crash glass, and canvas applique on polyester, 2019

The World is a Wedding, 2018

The World is a Wedding, 2018

The Farthest Shore, 2018

The Farthest Shore, 2018