Artist: Shahzia Sikander (Pakistani, b. 1969)
Title: Embark/Disembark I-VI
Audio:
Date: 2002
Dimensions: I, V, VI, 18″ x 15″; II, 15″ x 18″; III-IV, 24″ x 20″
Location in Library: First floor
Media: Photolithography and silkscreen; works on paper
Owner: The Brooklyn College Library Collection. Purchased with Dormitory Authority of New York Art Acquisition Funds. © Shahzia Sikander
Description:
Sikander began her formal art training by studying Indian and Persian miniatures. She reinterprets this genre by combining Christian, Hindu, and Muslim iconography in a contemporary medium. Using the central image of the woman, the artist explores both her personal identity and broader political and gender issues. Her work is remarkable for its breathtaking delicacy, meticulous details, and dreamlike rhythm. When asked what her work means, Sikander replied, “It’s not a question of what kinds of meaning the image is transmitting but what kind of meaning the viewer is projecting [on to my work].”
Related Websites
– Shahzia Sikander’s Website
–Shahzia Sikander at The Morgan Library
Suggested Reading
– Berry, Ian and Jessica Hough. Shahzia Sikander: Nemesis, 2004.
Call Number: N7310.73 .S57 A4 2004
