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AISHA KHALID
Born 1972 in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan.
Aisha Khalid’s works fuse the disciplines of geometric patterning and botanical studies into ambiguous correlations, subjects defined by their ghosts. The subject matter and political nature of her work are influenced by her personal experiences around gender, aesthetics, the role of women, and power relationships between the East and West. As a Pakistani woman who grew up in a modest household, domesticity is treated with both critique and fondness.
Khalid is part of a movement of artists in Pakistan that works in the traditional medium of miniature painting. However, she juxtaposes these decorative surfaces with deeply controversial social and political messages. Her work explores issues around cultural expectations, stereotyping, multiple oppressions of women, and the global aftermath of 9/11.
Born 1972, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Aisha Khalid earned her BFA from the National College of Arts there and went on to study at the Rijksakademiein Amsterdam. Her works fuse the disciplines of geometric patterning and botanical studies into ambiguous correlations, subjects defined by their ghosts. The subject matter and political nature of her work is influenced by her own personal experiences around gender, aesthetics, the role of women, and power relationships between the East and West. As a Pakistani woman who grew up in a modest household, domesticity is treated with both critique and fondness. Khalid is part of a movement of artists in Pakistan that works in the traditional medium of miniature painting. However, she juxtaposes these decorative surfaces with deeply controversial social and political messages. Her work explores issues around cultural expectations, stereotyping, multiple oppressions of women, and the global aftermath of 9/11.
Aisha Khalid, Be Like a Tree and Let the Dead Leaves Drop, 2023, Fabric, steel, and gold-plated pins, 100 x 52 in (254 x 132.08 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, Ishq, 2023, Pins on canvas, 40 x 80 in (101.6 x 203.2 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, Comforters, 2023, Fabric, gold-plated steel needles and polyester quilts, 78 x 72 in (198.12 x 182.88 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, I Am and I Am Not, 2022, Gouache, gold and silver leaf on paper board, Diptych, 48 x 64 in each (121.92 x 162.56 cm each)
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Aisha Khalid, Fling Me Across the Fabric of Time and the Seas of Space, 2022, Gouache on paper board, 48 x 48 in (121.92 x 121.92 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, Fling Me Across the Fabric of Time and the Seas of Space, 2022, Gouache on paper board, 48 x 64 in (121.92 x 162.56 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, I Am and I Am Not, 2023, Gouache, gold and silver leaf on wasli, 10 x 7.5 in (25.4 x 19 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, I Am and I Am Not, 2023, Gouache, gold and silver leaf on paper board, Diptych, 10 x 7.5 in each (25.4 x 19 cm each)
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Aisha Khalid, I Am and I Am Not, 2023, Gouache and gold leaf on wasli, 10 x 7.5 in (25.4 x 19 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, I Am and I Am Not, 2022, Gouache on digital print, paper board, 51 x 99 in (129.54 x 251.46 cm), Variation 2 of 5
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Aisha Khalid, More Beautiful for Having Been Broken, 2022, Gouache and gold leaf on digital print on paper board, 100 x 108 in (254 x 274.32 cm), Variation 2 of 5
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Aisha Khalid, More Beautiful for Having Been Broken, 2018, Gouache on photographic archival print, 21.5 x 66 in (54.61 x 167.64 cm)
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Aisha Khalid, You appear in me, I in you - I, 2015, Gouache on paper, gold leaf, acrylic box, 12 x 12 x 12 in each
Aisha Khalid, You appear in me, I in you - II, 2015, Gouache on paper board, gold leaf, 12 x 12 x 12 in
Aisha Khalid, You appear in me, I in you - III, 2015, Gouache on paper board, gold leaf, 12 x 12 x 12 in
Qatar Museums has opened MANZAR: Art and Architecture from Pakistan 1940s to Today, a first-of-its-kind exhibition commemorating the diverse work of painters, photographers and architects who have shaped the narratives, histories, and contemporary perspectives of Pakistan’s cultures since the 1940s.
“At the Circle’s Center” offers a glimpse into the artist’s diverse practice, comprising small works on paper, large-scale paintings, embroidered and pinned textiles, mixed media photo-based works and video. The show takes its title from a recent diptych of Gouaches on paper, richly painted in green, red and blue, using her signature geometric patterns and circles.
The artist recently opened her retrospective, I Am And I Am Not – at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Zealand, and peels back the layers of the motivations and concerns shared between herself, curator Masuma Halai Khwaja, and gallery director Zara Stanhope.
“I Am And I Am Not” was showcased at Chawkandi Art Gallery, Frere Hall, and Gandhara Art-Space, from 28 November 2021, till 21 January 2022. Curated by Masuma Halai Khawaja, the retrospective was organized and hosted by Chawkandi Art Gallery and sponsored by HBL.
In her current retrospective viewers can see the beginning of an oeuvre that scrutinizes personal, social, and cultural issues such as prescribed societal norms associated with the female gender.
As compared to the previous year, 2021 allowed art to stage a comeback with shows and exhibitions.