hierarchies | stereotypes | power | religion | ritual | culture | identity | perception
Shahzia Sikander is a Pakisani-American artist who specializes in Indian and Persian miniature paintings respecting traditional ways of making. These stylized and detailed paintings are a combination of her Hindu and Islamic heritage as these styles appear evident in her work. The content of her work revolves around complex issues such as religion, identity, and politics. Shahzia Sikander also works on large installations that gives her a totally different type of energy compared to miniature painting. She goes back and forth between working with the two.
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Shahzia Sikander's Work |
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Art is our weapon. Culture is a form of resistance.
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Shahzia Sikander in the ClassroomAs explained by Shahzia Sikander, her work is meticulous and time consuming as she spends years on her pieces. This could be introduced to students as a long-term project that students work on throughout the whole academic year. Students could work on this piece when they are finished with other work in class. Students will work within 8.5 X 11 dimensions and draw images that represent parts of their life that have influenced them in some way. These images would be required to fill up the entire page and be drawn with great detail. Students could first sketch out their drawing on the canvas to get their bearings then paint into the shapes they drew to make up their whole piece.
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Questions to Consider:How can working small scale make your artwork more successful?
Are there disadvantages of working small? If so, what are they? After viewing Shahzia Sikander's work, what do you feel is important to her? How do you think it feels to Shahzia when she is done with a piece that has taken her years? Is this rewarding? Would you like to work this way? Why or why not? |