A Signature Style
University of Delaware’s Dr. Amalia Amaki turns everyday items into fine art
By Robin V. Smiles
WASHINGTON
At first glance, much of Dr. Amalia Amaki’s art work on display at the National Museum of Women in the Arts appears to be a simple assortment of pretty little things: heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and truffles wrapped in gold foil; bedazzled jewelry boxes and ornate handheld fans framing vintage family photos. A closer look, however, reveals that what is on display is not really what it seems. The rich, dark chocolates are actually buttons; the gems decorating the boxes and handheld fans are not precious stones, but common beads and buttons as well. And an even closer look reveals that “sweet” and/or “pretty” is not the only message Amaki is sending, particularly when you realize that the antique photos are not of the artist’s family, but random photos of everyday African-Americans found in flea markets and the like. Such anonymity prompts one to wonder about the identity of the mostly unfamiliar faces and just how bittersweet their lives might have been.
Yet, turning everyday items into fine art is Amaki’s signature style.
“I love taking the unexpected object and redefining it in the context of
art — like a button, a fan, a faded photograph,” says Amaki in an interview printed in the exhibit’s catalogue. “If there is one thing that has remained constant in my approach to my art over the past 20 years, it is my desire to tear down boundaries or sort of blur boundaries between so-called craft and so-called high art.”
