Roots Across The Sea

Dimensions: 30 x 40

Material: Canvas

Paint: Acrylic Paint 

This piece is deeply personal. It is inspired by the strength and beauty of the Amazigh women of Algeria, but it is also a portrait of my own journey.

I was born in Algeria and left my home at eight years old. Overnight, everything familiar disappeared. I arrived in America with my mother, carrying little more than hope and about $2,000. We didn’t speak the language. We started over from nothing.

For more than a decade, five of us shared a one-bedroom apartment. Every dollar mattered. Every sacrifice was made so that one day we could build a different life.

The hardest part wasn’t the poverty it was the separation. I haven’t seen my grandparents in over ten years. I haven’t hugged my aunts and uncles in more than twenty-four years. Distance has a way of preserving love while simultaneously breaking your heart. There are birthdays, weddings, and everyday moments that become memories you never get to make.

Before America, my childhood looked very different. I grew up surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea swimming, fishing, and living a life deeply connected to the water, family, and tradition. Leaving that world behind meant losing not only a place, but a part of my identity.

The woman in this painting is intentionally veiled, yet her eyes remain uncovered. They tell the story words often cannot. They carry grief, resilience, longing, and pride. They represent generations of Amazigh women who have preserved their culture through displacement, adversity, and change.

This painting is about what it means to leave home without ever truly leaving it behind. It is about carrying your ancestors, your language, and your memories with you, even when an ocean separates you from the people you love.

My story is only one story, but it reflects the experience of many immigrants who rebuild their lives while quietly grieving the homes they had to leave behind.

This piece is dedicated to my family in Algeria, whose love continues to shape who I am, no matter how many miles separate us.