About

Luma Jasim is an Iraqi/American Artist based in New York and Boise, ID. Jasim was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq, during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Luma has lived through three wars, an economic blockade, the US invasion catastrophe, and her immigration to the US. Luma's multi-media body of work explores the relationship between violence, politics, gender, and emotional memory.
After immigrating to the US, Luma accomplished a second Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boise State University in 2013 and a second master's degree in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, The New School, in 2017. Her previous education includes an MA and a BA from Baghdad University in Graphic design.
Some of Luma's recent accomplishments are The Juror merit award for the 2020 Idaho Triennial, Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID. In 2021, she received The Alexa Rose Foundation Fellowship. The funds will be used to create a short documentary to chronicle her journey starting in Iraq, where she was born and raised, and following the United States invasion in 2003. She also had two performances in the same year; "Silence.Strangeness.Movement": a performance art piece during The Treefort Music Festival in Boise. A commission by the city of Boise in collaboration with local musician Blake Green. "Dear Afghanistan": a collaborative live performance art piece with musician Ryan Garret. This performance was a response to the last event in Afghanistan. It included live painting, spoken words, and abstract music. Recently, Luma was awarded a Grant (which will be announced officially in December 2022.)
2020-2021_ "RUIN": A film with LED, a nonprofit organization creating innovative and accessible artistic experiences. RUIN was filmed at The Morrison Center For The Performing Arts in Boise during the lockdown time in 2020 while the theatre was closed, reflecting on the pandemic's reality and challenges. RUIN premiered for the first time at The Egyptian Theatre on March 2022.
Luma explores the relationship of different concepts within today's political climate drawing from past experiences through her practice. A major concept is regarding the relation with home, where someone was born and raised, the choices of leaving, and the consequences of staying. In her art, Luma uses the personal to address the political and activate the viewer's curiosity. She often reconstructs her memories, traumas, and thoughts on displacement, belonging, and strangeness in various mediums, including writing, painting, performance, video, and animation.