Meet and Greet with Mariem Ismiq - IOTA 2027

Join us at GRAG to meet Indian Ocean Craft Triennial Australia 2027 visiting Thai textile artist Mariem Ismiq.

About Mariem:
Known in her arts persona as Mariem Ismiq, Thidarat Chantachua was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1992. She was raised as a Muslim woman in the suburbs of this major capital city. Consequently, Mariem is interested in the complex identity and culture of each person, using her own complex identity as an exploration. Mariem still lives in her hometown and works with varied cultural groups, addressing immigrant issues and multiculturalism while being aware of the environmental challenges of her city’s pollution and changing climate.

Mariem attended the College of Fine Arts at 15, showing abilities in Painting, Thai traditional art and in Islamic art. She has a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting (Major) from Silpakorn University, and began as an artist after graduating from her Bachelor’s degree.

Mariem’s work uses thread as drawing, with the path of embroidery and woven threads linking to architectural spaces and the human form. It’s reflected in the relationship between herself and others in the making and installation of artworks in public spaces. Mariem has been an Artist in Residency at Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan, where she then held a solo exhibition On the path of different cultures. Mariem has also been selected in group exhibitions in the Asia region, particularly in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

At the heart of Mariem’s practice is her Islamic faith and its’ spiritual and artistic traditions, particularly with stunning embroidery and painting on fabric. Mariem is proud to make art with knowledge of her Islamic heritage, extensively exploring geometric patterning, using these motifs to represent architectural elements and situational narratives. Her experimentation extends beyond traditional Arabesque forms to include influences from Japanese, Chinese, and Roman designs. Mariem conveys this theme in a highly contemporary way, integrating the decorative motifs of Islamic art into an abstract language influenced by Western modernism.

As a Muslim woman living in the dynamic, cultural melting pot of Bangkok, a city with over 5 million people, Mariem is acutely aware of the need for people to overcome cultural and religious differences, and to find connection. As an artist Mariem has integrated many forms as her own and develops these into new ideas utilising handmade craft with contemporary media, reflecting on society, politics, ethnicity, immigration, and the environment. In her most recent work, Mariem spoke about air pollution and effect of weather affecting on her, in the installation The Blue Rain, combining weaving and digital print with sculpture and site-specific suspension.

https://www.instagram.com/mariem.b.chantachua

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Please note that photographs and footage may be taken throughout this event. These will be used by the City for publicity and reporting in our publications on our website and in social media.