S2, EP8: Fatema Haque
Artist Fatema Haque, image courtesy of artist | Photo Credit: Brittany Greeson
On episode 8, we interview Bangladeshi-American writer, educator, and fiber artist Fatema Haque.
As a self-taught fiber artist, she creates hand-embroidered portraits that celebrate the legacies of the Bangladeshi diaspora: those who immigrate, those they leave behind, and the memories they carry with them wherever they go. Each portrait requires 30-100 hours of work, is done entirely by hand, typically on fabric she thrifts and naturally dyes with plants and food scraps. She is inspired by the resourcefulness and artistic legacies of her aunts and grandmothers, who created hand-embroidered goods that were never formally recognized as art. Through her art, she aims to document the memories of her people.
Image order (left to right): Image of artist, Nanu — 8 x 10 inches, hand-embroidered on beet and alum dyed cotton fabric | Couple in Repose — 2023, 10 x 10 inches, hand-embroidered on cochineal and alum dyed cotton fabric | Armaan — 2022, 8 x10 inches, hand-embroidered on cotton fabric
Fatema immigrated to Detroit, Michigan, from Sylhet Bangladesh, in the late 1990s. She attended Detroit Public Schools, and then went on to study at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master's degrees. Post graduation, she moved back to Bangladesh to live and work there. This move, along with noticing the very limited representation of Bangladeshi Americans in literature, arts, and the media, cemented her connection to her homeland and fueled her commitment to sharing stories of the Bangladeshi diaspora.
Kakamoni — 2023, 8 x10 inches, hand-embroidered on avocado and alum dyed cotton fabric
Fatema learned to embroider during the pandemic. She began with a kit from Amazon and slowly taught herself to hand-embroider portraits. Initially, her inspirations were her family members. Then her work expanded to Michigan’s Bangladeshi American community. She reached out to members of her community and began collecting photos and conducted oral history interviews. This work led to Fatema’s first solo exhibit, Bangladeshis in Michigan, which documented the immigration journeys of multiple generations of Bangladeshi Michiganders.
Currently, Fatema is working on a series of author portraits dedicated to the authors who raised her. She is also writing her first collection of short stories and teaching at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Image details: Elderly Couple — 2023, 9 x12 inches, hand-embroidered on cotton fabric
