Artist honors refugees in a language that transcends borders: the emoji

Hangama Amiri ’20 M.F.A. was a first grader in 1996 when her family escaped Taliban oppression in Afghanistan. They lived as refugees in Pakistan, and later Tajikistan, before immigrating to Canada in 2005, settling in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A painter since childhood, Amiri’s journey brought her to the Yale School of Art, where she studied in the Painting and Printmaking Department. She lives in New Haven and has a studio in Erector Square where she recently produced pieces for shows in Manhattan and Toronto.