Ever-Present
Artists: Beenish Ahmed & Eman Fatima
Our work started with the question; “What notions presents when the two different artworks combined made by two different artists?”.
Collaboration with fellow artist led the work towards new directions and explore beyond the vision. We both have different working techniques, expertise, and experiences and through combining it all our residency work represents the fusion of painting as well as miniature painting style. Comparing our practices, we came to know about Eman’s work based on painting of outdoor stuff and Beenish’s indoor objects. Working manually on same canvases our visuals combine and contrasting dialogues represents the deep-rooted meanings.
The whole body of work is a combination of typography/graffiti, outdoor shutters and indoor household items composed in a way that communicate deeply, conveys multiple layered meanings and highly strong stories revolving around the depiction of repression, suppression, lack of expression, captivity, limitations, and subjection. When you see the whole body of work it is mostly based on a particular aspect of life and little concerns around.
Our work consists of Shutters that are used metaphorically as a barrier as they create no escape. The written sentences over them are the thoughts and feelings that represents hidden feelings of someone that he/she hesitates to express. In one of the paintings, we have painted a shutter-like sole (the backside of a shoe) and wrote expressive sentences over it. Sole used as a metaphorical language conveying the idea of non-representational and no worthy considering sides that gain no attention/ do not engage but do exist. The work touches the hidden aspect of life and untold stories that are always on the other side of the page. Another series of shutters showing the doll and kitsch advertisement for local beauty cream comments on the neglected control of stereotypical advertisements on society. The overemphasized fair and stylized figure on fairness creams always restricts and injects one's mind with the rich and exaggerated definitions of beauty. These are the everyday visuals we are aware of, but we don't communicate much about these structures and take them for granted just because we have become a part of it. In other works, the objects around the shutter direct the mind towards feminal domestic life but at the same time, the visuals speak a lot more than the visual reality. We let the visual explain multiple meanings that everyone can relate. The artworks narrate the story in a very settled way. The objects and shutters are not popping out from the surface and don’t look vibrant. Another painting depicts a certain kind of cover or firecracker made of matchsticks that keeps a mystery and suspicious vibes. Here again, we know the metaphoric use of matchsticks that has become a cover or barrier towards the entrance.
The Artists and their Reflections
Beenish Ahmed
Beenish is a painter in Hyderabad, Pakistan that focuses on everyday, domestic objects that quietly represent a meaningful part of Pakistani culture.
At the beginning of the North Louisiana Virtual Residency, I did not have any specific information and experience regarding working collaboratively. Attending the weekly online huddles and listening to long cheerful discussions with 16 other artists around the world on one platform made it helpful to understand the Residency and make further plans easier.
After getting into the residency, I wanted to explore something that should be different from my past art practice. This would have not been possible without the motivation and energy that I received by sharing my words, work, ideas, visuals, and perspectives with Eman and receiving the same in return. The engagement with the work increased when I realized the fundamental facet which I learned here in this residency that “You can produce multidisciplinary works of art in tremendous directions and enormous aspects with a little exchange of ideas”. This collaboration made me explore new energy not only on the surface layer but I also found myself accepting unexplored vision, healthy criticism and so many possibilities regarding mediums and methods of working. This all helped me to discover a sight to look into the wider perspective and split the boundary which I created around my work that could be a restriction towards one's understanding and growth.
I always wanted an exemplary start to my career after my graduation as an artist and it was a great opportunity to discuss and listen to the stuff from other senior artists. No doubt, it was such a exceptional experience to have an amazing and well organized virtual residency.
Eman Fatima
Eman Fatima is a painter based in Lahore, Pakistan who’s paintings on wasli paper speak to the line between public and private spaces.
I am short of my words to describe my experience and feelings about the North Virtual Louisiana Residency. Let's start with the thanks to all the team members who have been super cooperative, plus insights. It was a roller coaster ride, I found myself enjoying my conversation with other artists. I enjoy listening to artists' stories and about their practices. The talent and diversity of artists and practices selected for residency initially piqued my interest and made me even more excited after I realized that I would like to collaborate with them in the future. It's been a long time we are working together, almost making us feel like family members. It was a wonderful experience to make friends in other countries and to find similarities and differences of feelings and I am very fortunate to be part of this residency as a struggler and recent graduate, It gives us more strength, courage to be on the same platform where there are senior artists .#Unforgettable experience.