The City Before Memory Settles

Wood, 12x12x2, 2026

A split view of the city blurs the line between past and present, ruin and continuity. Architectural details and rooftops collide, suggesting a place not yet fixed in memory, where perception shifts and the act of remembering remains unsettled.

My work explores memory, identity, and how we construct belonging across time and place. Using mixed media and photographic transfer, I disrupt and layer my own images to reflect the instability of memory. Through texture and fragmentation, I create pieces that feel both familiar and unsettled, drawn to the tension between what is seen and what is felt.

Shama Shams is a Seattle-based mixed media artist, writer, and storyteller exploring memory, identity, and belonging. Using photographic transfer, paint, and texture, she creates work that blurs image and emotion. Drawing from her experience as an immigrant, she focuses on quiet, overlooked moments, transforming her photographs through layering and disruption into tactile pieces that evoke both fragility and resilience.