I am an artist from Karachi whose work revolves around bodies and belonging. Driven by a decade-long commitment to advocating for the right to belong in public spaces in my practice, I invite you to create a mural with me in Karachi and Lahore.
About this project
I’m an artist-in-residence as part of the New Narratives in Photography project, a collaboration between Tasweerghar and GRAIN Projects, supported by the British Council. I’m indebted to artists and collectives who built a visual practice that celebrates the mundane truths of feminine bodies – the embodied tenderness and fervor cast in shadows by the dominant social order.
I wouldn’t have learned that my feminine body possesses the boundless capacity for love, companionship, nurturing care, joy, and fierce courage that springs in the face of despair if it weren’t for their visual practice that mirrored back at me with a message that my body is still my own.
They move me to create art, hold spaces and weave dialogues that transcend the shadows of fear. Turning our dream into practice, we birth a new narrative of an inevitable future where love and acceptance are the norm.
What to submit
Imagine who you might be if you gave yourself permission
Who can submit:
This call is open to anyone of South Asian origins, in relation to femininity, working with photography. Your training in fields like fine arts or photojournalism may inform your work, but it isn’t a requirement. Hobbyists, professionals and users of generative AI, all are welcome to submit.
I invite you to see the frame as a space that enables a different reality or relationship to the world within its confine and respond to this statement. This is an exercise in giving oneself permission to exist, to be, to pause, to rest – and extend that invitation to the viewer, visually.
You may submit a series of photographs or single shots up to 10, in color or monochrome. While a cohesive body of work is preferred, single shots are also welcome. Your photographs should not contain promotions or advertisements.
What to expect
Your artwork will be transmuted in a mixed-media collage that will live on a wall in Karachi and Lahore* to carry a message of bodily autonomy.
You will be informed about the selection by October 30, 2023.
Upon selection, you'll be invited to participate in a mural activity. Your contribution will be credited and you’ll be invited to attend the Tasweerghar exhibition scheduled for January 2024, where the process and outcome of this project will be displayed.
*Locations for each mural is TBD.