Raised in Cairo, Egypt, Amer spent time observing her mother, an agronomist, and groups of local women who came together to sew their own clothes. She moved to Nice, France at eleven years old and later completed her undergraduate studies and MFA at the Villa Arson École Nationale Supérieure in Nice. While there, she was told that certain painting classes were reserved exclusively for men, marking a pivotal moment in the artist’s practice. She then set about creating her unique approach within the world of painting. With the introduction of embroidery into her work, Amer confronted the history of painting by asserting the voices and physical labor of women artists—and women across the globe.

Bringing craft into the realm of “high art,” she pointedly departs from figuration to claim the absolute freedom of women from the gaze of men. Across her practice, Amer has consistently advocated for the creation of an entirely feminist language of painting in which women are not passive objects, but rather autonomous subjects. Her practice further investigates the paradox that arises when seeking concrete definitions of feminine and masculine and art and craft. w

In addition to her studies at the Villa Arson, Amer completed a postgraduate program at the Institut des Hautes Études en Arts Plastiques. She was the first Arab artist to present a solo exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2000. She has participated in international exhibitions including the Whitney Biennial (2000) and the Venice Biennales (1999, where she won the UNESCO Prize; 2005; and 2007). Her work first entered the Studio Museum’s collection in 2018.