Elena Loffreno

“I AM AN ARAB PIZZA” is an artistic meditation on the pain and confusion I have experienced as a result of the recent condemnation of Palestinian existence. The project contrasts my positive memories of Middle Eastern cuisine with feelings of self-contempt growing up Arab in post-9/11 Staten Island. Through video and zine-making, I re-experience ambivalent emotions and share my personal reflections on current events. By utilizing the degraded, imperfect reproductive technology of the risograph, the work captures a transitory yet poignant sense of cultural diaspora.

Elena Loffreno (b. 2002, Staten Island, NY) is a Palestinian and Italian artist whose work documents the personal nuances of cultural identity against the backdrop of contemporary world events.