Artist Statement
Mohammed Murshed  

My recent artwork is reflected in who I am and to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen — sitting in what I call my new homeland in the United States watching my childhood country go down in ruins.

They have been in war for more than seven years; I left to the states during the start of the Arab Spring, which was last Yemen looked as beautiful as it did. I try to create art that reminds me of places where I grew up, that no longer exists due to the bombs destroying everything. I create artwork, either painting or digital work, and sometimes even sculpture to shine a light on what’s happening in Yemen.

Yemen is a place that reminds people of something ancient, and archaeologists from all around the world would go to Yemen to visit the old cities. My art shows the trauma I went through, my videos display the evil events happening, and whom these repugnant leaders/terrorists are. Unfortunately, evil runs the country at the moment, which forced many to leave. For many, there is no work, food, water, and a way to survive. I feel a need to focus my work on Yemen as it’s a reflection of who I am and its heavy-hearted to me.

My projects revolve heavily around my childhood country of Yemen, a third world country that has backward traditions with no fundamental human rights and has caused many people mental anguish. PTSD keeps me in chains, but within my process, I break one ring at a time from the strings of my trauma.  We fell unconscious toward the world and rose in another, quickly America without magic. Italy lost its boot to stand, and Belgium no longer romantic. "the empire on which the sun never sets" the sun finally sets.

The Monsters are no longer a refuge, and Mecca is dry and empty. Caring switched to become a threat. Not visiting your family became an act of love. Quickly money is worthless, and Oxygen became something we struggle for.   

 The planet remains beautiful; we keep declaring that we are going to destroy the world with pollution. The only thing we are hurting

is our breathing. Mother earth just Locked us all up and worked its natural selection. It is time to rethink our purpose and what we are here for.  

  Things can change in the blink of an eye. We are not necessary, the air, earth, water, and sky without us, it's just fine. Remember, when we come back, we are only guests and never masters."  

Five years of war between a Saudi-led alliance and the Houthi's, the health care system in Yemen is in critical condition; children are being treated at a Yemeni hospital for starvation and disease. The majority of the population now depends on food and medical aid mostly passed or funded by aid organizations. The World has completely cut off Yemen. I hope that my artwork brings awareness to the worst humanitarian crisis of all time in Yemen, especially now with COVID- 19 pandemic.

Murshed in the studio at PNCA By Simone Fischer

Biography 

My name is Mohamed Murshed; I was born and raised in Sana’a, Yemen. In my childhood, while living with my parents and my little brother, the neighborhood was lively and full of friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, many of them died because of the civil wars in Yemen and the Youth Revolution in 2011, especially the devastating war in 2015 with the Saudia-led coalition. I moved to the United States during the Arab Spring, saw many of my friends die due to the war. I consider myself one of the lucky ones able to escape war before it was too late for me.

I work with paint, sculpture, video, sound, programming for art, and video games. I am interested in challenging myself and in trying things that I haven’t done before. In my art, I try to bring awareness to the issues in Yemen and find help to unpack the layers of my Trauma.