Maria Awaraji

Maria Awaraji is an artist and dancer currently residing in London, Ontario, Canada. She is finalizing her BA Honours Double Major in Kinesiology, Studio Art and Art History at Western University, all while uncovering her heritage and discovering her voice through experimentation with diverse media.

Recent work

“Catch a Granate", Acrylic painting, 30 x 30 inches,
February 2023

“The Epic of Gilgamesh", Ink and Reed pen, coffee spills on 10 sheets of Carson paper, October 2023

“Leafy Situation", Acrylic painting, 30 x 30 inches, April 2023

Overthinking", Acrylic painting, 33 x 36 inches, September 2023

“It has been 75 years", Collage piece with multi-media approach, November 2023. The base of this work is the miniature painting “Akbarnama, Akbar Inspecting the Construction of Fathpur Sikri (c. 1590)" by Tulsi the Elder, Bandi the painter, and Madhav Khord the Younger.

EDITORIAL TEAM

ONLINE FOUNDER
Tariq Hassan Gordon

COFOUNDERS & CURATORIAL ADVISORS
Jamelie Hassan & Ron Benner

ADVISORY CIRCLE
Samer Abdelnour, Marnie Fleming, Wyn Geleynse, Fern Helfand, S F Ho, Lorraine Klaasen, Judith Rodger, Ruth Skinner, Mary Lou Smoke, and Lucas Stenning

COORDINATING EDITORS
Tariq Hassan Gordon & Olivia Mossuto

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Blessy Augustine, Anna Da Silva, Anahí González, Jessica Joyce, Ira Kazi, Shelley Kopp, Emmy Meredith, Ashar Mobeen, Mireya Seymour, and Michelle Wilson.

VIRTUAL TOUR
Andreas Buchwaldt

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OUR STORY

Artists Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner and jazz musician Eric Stach founded the Embassy Cultural House (1983-1990) located in the restaurant portion of the Embassy Hotel at 732 Dundas Street in East London. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy Cultural House was re-envisioned as a virtual artist-run space and website.

The Embassy Cultural House gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the London Arts Council through the City of London's Community Arts Investment Program.

The Embassy Cultural House is thankful for the mentorship program established by Western University's Visual Arts department and the continued support of the students and Faculty of Arts & Humanities.

Our Partners

E M B A S S Y C U L T U R A L H O U S E . C A

The Embassy Cultural House (ECH) is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton peoples, at the forks of Deshkan Ziibi (Antler River), an area subject to the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum and other treaties, colonized as London, Ontario. The ECH strives to create meaningful relationships between the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and our contributors. The ECH honours the stewardship of the many Indigenous peoples who have resided on these lands since time immemorial.