'Untitled' by Shad Fatima
Dimensions variable
Ceramics
About the artwork
We are all wanderers looking for our place in an interdependent world. Presenting two distinct bodies of work, Shad Fatima asks us to contemplate the pluralistic nature of identity and the delicate interconnectedness of human existence.
Shad begins by unveiling a series of portraits and ceramic sculptures that embody the vulnerability, strength and defiance of a Dasht-gard. These characters exist in a realm beyond reality, where identity flourishes by resisting definition. Drawn in by this new world, the viewer is then presented with a series of monochrome landscapes, where nuanced greys encapsulate the often overlooked interdependencies that shape our lives. It is within these subtleties that meaning and purpose emerge, reminding us of our kindred human experience.
We are all wandering mad men here. May you carry the Dasht-gard’s insights with you as you navigate the intricacies of your own wanderings in life.
About the artist
Shad Fatima is an Ahmedabad-based artist with a distinctive style of work. The figures she works with often seem destitute, helpless rebels of their cause, unable to fight their opposition. Their androgynous forms is an acknowledgement to the non-binary world we live in. Growing up, Shad learnt to find ways to express herself through her canvases, primarily as an outlet for her voice that felt stifled in the real world. In her worst moments of anger and frustration or simply escapism, she turned to paint, creating characters that had a personality and a world of their own. Shad’s work speaks to the countless women who do not have a voice in society. While the fight for equality continues, she believes that it has a long way to go. Her portraits are dressed beautifully but their eyes are dead and their faces stoic.
Shad was selected for the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale China in 2017 and has received awards such as SH Raza Award in Painting and Avishkar Van Gogh Award Kolkatta. Her work has been showcased at Creatives Rising digital exhibition in New York, Kanoria Center for Arts Ahmedabad, Lalit Kala Academy and Art Society of India.
