Shahzia Sikander
Shahzia Sikander
Shahzia Sikanderis a Pakistani artist who works in drawing, painting, animation, large-scale installation, performance and video, on an international stage...
NationalityPakistani
ProfessionArtist
CountryPakistan
hardly nerd quite
I was very, very quiet. I was always a loner, hardly spoke, and I was quite a nerd in school. So I was an outsider always.
transcend
Not to be boxed in, to be able to transcend boundaries: for an artist, it's essential.
focus listen music peace quiet thinking time work
I don't really listen to music when I work. I really have to focus on one thing at a time. I like a lot of quiet and peace when I'm working or when I'm thinking or when I'm reading.
across country drive
I like driving. A lot. I think that's something I just enjoy the most. I can, at a moment's notice, drive across the country if, you know, I had to.
break experiment question relevance taking ways
My whole purpose of taking on miniature painting was to break the tradition, to experiment with it, to find new ways of making meaning, to question the relevance of it.
arrived central cowboy distinct elaborate fascinated incredibly seemed styles
When I first arrived in Houston, I was fascinated with the elaborate styles of cowboy boots and thought they were incredibly exotic. They also seemed to be a central part of a specifically 'Texan' identity, one distinct from being 'American.'
practice drawing imagination
For me, drawing is a way of navigating the imagination, and it remains the fundamental vehicle of my practice. Drawing allows me to be at my most inventive.
practice rebuilding transformation
I'm interested in taking a form, breaking it apart, and then rebuilding it. It is about transformation for me...it is a very core notion that stabilizes my practice.
gestures painting ends
In the end, the gesture of painting becomes almost meditative, like a ritual.