AQSA SHAKIL

Statement

Attached to my very bones is my international baggage, most of which is carry-on. I was born in Tanzania, raised in Pakistan, and have had a taste of the Far East, Middle East and Europe. Getting married and moving to America has been, let's just say, a piece of cake; getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road: not so much.

Two weeks in Taos, New Mexico concluded with an extensive series of Rain Paintings. The shed of the Art Barn at Fort Burgwin opened into seemingly endless wilderness. When it rained, I spread out sheets of Bristol paper on the grass and as the rain-drops pelted the paper, I intervened with an ink-dropper. As soon as the ink hit the moist paper, rain appeared.

My work has always had an underlying theme of relationships and memories. In the concern for memory, there is an obsession of recording time, which is a recurrent theme in my new large Miniature Paintings. They are a combination of Taos rain-paintings, Islamic geometric patterns, and Indian Miniature Painting. An experiment of playing with the first two accidentally resulted in a perfect setting for memories of my childhood executed in the tradition of Miniature Painting. These images are derived from old family photographs, most of which were taken by my mother. She has always been an excellent chronicler and wonderful story-teller. Each image is from a favorite picture that either has a story, or signifies an important event.

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