A Thousand and One Days : Pakistani Women Artists
"The exhibition, A Thousand and One Days, opens a remarkable window into the world of modern-day Pakistan. Through the vehicle of fifty-one contemporary miniature paintings by eight Pakistani women artists, the visitor is presented with an unusual look at a prominent Islamic nation. The Academy is honored to present this exhibition, the first in an ongoing series of explorations of contemporary art from the Islamic world. Organized by Italian guest curators Enrico Mascelloni and Duccio K. Marignoli, this exhibition explores boundaries of experience in realm where for centuries women have been subservient to men. That a woman has recently served as Prime Minister of Pakistan has not changed many of the realities that have historically prevailed for women. Art is one arena of many, however, in which Pakistani women have given shape to their experiences and voiced independent aspirations for their lives. The art of small-scale paintings on paper has been one of the most sophisticated art forms in South and Southwest Asia for centuries. The achievements of the traditional Persian, Mughal, Decanni, Rajput, and Punjab schools of painting are internationally famous today. Revived during the British Colonial period, the miniature painting traditions of Pakistan have been recently rediscovered and transformed by a new generation of women artists. Among the themes developed by these painters are the tensions between traditionalism and modernism in contemporary Islamic cultures, and the ongoing dialogue about identity in post-colonial society. One of the most powerful images explored is the chaador, or veil, with which women cover themselves in many Middle Eastern Islamic nations. Several of the artists in this exhibition studied at the miniature painting department of the National College of Arts in Lahore (formerly the Mayo School of Arts). In her catalogue essay, "Contemporary Women Painters of Pakistan," Salima Hashmi touches on the political dimensions of this art, when she writes, "The homage to tradition and the reverence of its practice affords limitless chances for its subversion." It is noteworthy in this light that Hashmi points out the "irreverence inherent in the Sufi Islamic tradition prevalent in Pakistan." In a completely contemporary manner, the painters in this exhibition question both what we see and how we see it. The exhibition includes works by Tazeen Qayyum, Talha Rathore, Nusra Latif Qureshi, Saira Sheikh, Sumaira Tazeen, Sherbano Qizilbash, Mahreen Zuberi, and Reeta Saeed. The artists represented include women who live in Pakistan and several who are recent expatriates. Nusra Latif Qureshi, for example, lives in Melbourne, Australia, while Talha Rathore lives and works in New York City. The Academy is deeply grateful to Guest Curators Enrico Mascelloni and Duccio K. Marignoli for proposing the exhibition and bringing it to fruition..." -- Stephen Little, Director, Honolulu Academy of Arts
Print Book, English, ©2005
Silvana Editorale, Milano, ©2005