Dena Sadik Daman is a Chicago-based sculptor whose work is profoundly influenced by her experience as a first-generation Chaldean-American. Her parents emigrated from Iraq in 1980, and the themes of diaspora, longing, autonomy, and cultural erasure are central to her art.

Daman's sculptural practice explores the interplay between movement and material. She casts fabrics, once full of life and motion, in bronze, effectively freezing their dynamic forms. This process invites contemplation on the nature of being physically and emotionally static—caught between two cultures and worlds, while mourning another.

In addition to sculpture, Daman further transforms her work through photographic documentation. Employing specific lighting techniques, she captures her sculptures in ways that reveal alternate appearances and cast shadows that create secondary, ephemeral forms. This technique reflects the dual projections of self—the visible aspect and the hidden one—experienced by children of immigrant families, who often navigate complex cultural identities.

Through her innovative use of sculpture and photography, Daman examines how material and light can express the nuanced realities of diaspora, creating art that speaks to both physical presence and emotional depth.